19 Students from Women's Christian College, Chennai, visits Mudugar-Kurumbar Research Centre

(Photograph: KA Ramu)

Nineteen students of ecoliterature course (II B.A. English) in Women’s Christian College, Chennai, visited Mudugar-Kurumbar Research Centre on 31 July 2010 and 01 August 2010. They were accompanied by five professors from the College including the Principal. They reached Attappady at 7.00 a.m. on 31 July, 2010. On that they, they visited the Silent Valley Rain forest. In the evening they visited Thunduur, a hamlet of Mudugar.

(Photograph: Crystal Maritta Sam)

There they witnessed the tribal people dancing and singing in their traditional way. On 01 August, they visited Thunduur again for fieldwork. The students were, in advance, given the following topics for research:
1. Dress of Mudugar
2. Food practices of Mudugar
3. Occupation of Mudugar
4. Hamlet structures of Mudugar (patterns of house, materials used to make them, distance between houses, rooms in houses and their patterns)
5. Role of Women in Mudugar life
6. Festivals of Mudugar
7. Ritualistic practices of Mudugar (Birth, death, coming of age, marriage)
8. Supernatural in Mudugar Life
9. Medicinal plants of Mudugar
10. Music in Mudugar life (role of music, literature in music, musical instruments)
11. Stories, Myths and Legends of Mudugar
12. Agricultural practices of Mudugar
13. Children’s play
14. Language of Mudugar
15. Familial relationships of Mudugar
16. Social structure of Mudugar hamlets
17. Mudugar’s relationship with other communities
18. Use of bamboo in Mudugar life
19. Trees in Mudugar Life
20. The concepts of Land and ownership
21. The concepts of Work and Leisure

At 3.00 p.m. they were taken to the office of MKR Centre. The Story of Mudugar, an introductory video-documentary on Mudugar was screened following a photo-tour on Mudugar.
Some comments of the students are given below:

(Photograph: Fazil NC)

“The trip was interesting. The experience was an eye-opener and was informative. It was nice to interact with Mudugar and watch the excitement in their eyes.”
- Cherubine Deepika David

“It is a very commendable work that is being done here. It is wonderful to see the efforts taken to record the rich culture of Mudugar.”
- Anitha Iris

“It was a totally new experience seeing people living one with nature.”
- Kaavya Gnanaraj

“The trip gave me a holistic idea of the worldview, life and culture of Mudugar. It helped me change my perspective.”
- Reshma Cheriyan

“Commendable efforts to have such an ethical Research Centre.”
- Poorvaja S.