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Photo © Rajasekar Pandiyan

TITLE: Irulas

I have been documenting the tribes called 'Irular' through the eyes of my camera for the past three years.
There are several reasons why they are called with this name 'Irular'.
A few to mention, It is believed that they live in remote and darkest places of dense forests and they make a living by doing the work which usually gets done in the nights.
Also, the obvious belief is that they are called as 'Irular' because of their skin. In Tamil language 'Irul' means dark.

Their important profession was hunting the snakes and rats in the agricultural farms. Irular's role is vital to keep the farms snake and rat free to avoid being damaged by those species.

Not long ago Indian government has made hunting as an illegal activity. Irular's community has been forced to migrate out of forests ever since the ban.

The entire community is now living on daily wages in the outerskirts of villages.

Thousands years of culture and ethnicity of this community ended this way and they are now struggling to get basic rights such as Education and medical needs.

It is very unsettling fact that the entire community is at stake and above all few of them are working as woodcutters but once they were lived under one.

AUTHOR: Rajasekar Pandiyan INDIA

Documentary Photographer.Born in Tamilnadu,India.

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