Cholanaikkan Tribe

A 12-year-old girl, Meenakshi, from the Cholanaikkan tribe in Kerala, is receiving home-based education despite being bedridden.

• The Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) programme has developed 30 audio-visual texts in the Cholanaikkan language to support her education.
• The talking texts, named “Thanka, Bana, Belli” (Moon, Sky, Star), are tailored to her linguistic needs.
• SSK provides home-based education to 6,168 students across Kerala, including virtual classes and home visits.

About the Cholanaikkan Tribe

• Nomenclature: The Cholanaikkans, also called Malanaikans or Sholanaikans, are known as the “Cavemen of Kerala.”
  • The name derives from “Shola” or “Chola” (deep forest) and “Naikan” (king).
  • The forest is home to elephants, antelopes, and occasional tigers.
• Classification: They are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
• Population: Below 400.
• Habitat: They reside in the Nilambur Valley of Malappuram district, mostly in protected forests.
• • Their settlements are divided into small groups called Jenmam, with 2 to 7 families forming a Chemmam.
• Occupation: They survive by scavenging forest resources and do not practice cultivation due to frequent elephant trampling.
• Isolated from outsiders: Their territory is highly restricted, and outsiders are not permitted to collect forest produce or interact with them.
• Language: They speak a unique Dravidian dialect that is not directly linked to modern Dravidian languages. 
  • But it shows some similarities to Malayalam and Kannada.
• Culture: Their names are distinct, showing no influence from Hindu mythology, indicating prolonged isolation.

DOWNLOAD PDF