Students from Mailipandaram attending Comunicore in Vechochira in Pathanamthitta. | PHOTO CREDIT: LIJA KAMAL
For thirteen -year -old Rajitha, the summer has always meant living inside the Sabarimal forests near Moozhiyar.
This April, however, this young man from the Malaipandaram tribe left the forest for an experience that would be a step closer to the outside world. Over the course of three days, Rajith joined 35 other children from his residential camp, where they worked, played and played together – but only in English.
For a tribe, which for generations lived inside or near Sabarimal forests, this meant the first spark of a movement called Commonicore. Communicore, which has started a district mission of Kudumbashree in Pathanamthita, is a full pressure to train Malaipandaram children in communication English. The aim of the initiative designed as part of the micro-plan for the community is to provide 300 hours of training in communication English to selected children for 10 months.
This summer, three residential camps will be held, followed by classes for the second Saturday and Sunday as soon as the school opens again. Given that most of these children remain in the tribal hostels, the authorities were provided with a special authority to allow their participation on weekends.
Interactive activity
“The key objective of the project is to improve their basic communication skills through a number of interactive activities,” says Shahjahan TK, program coordinator. Participants between the ages of 12 and 17 come from tribal settlements in the morning, Vadasserikkara, Thannithoda and Aruvapulam.
In order to ensure effective learning, specialized trainers were included. The session focuses on building trust and fluency through the formats involved, such as debates, presentations, English drama, group discussions, anchoring and narration. The learning modules were developed in cooperation with the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
At the end of the training cycle, the ceremony will be held. The big final, however, will be the Indian international tribal English Conclave 2K26, a state event at the level of the state level, where these students will present their communication skills and perform theater presentations developed during training.
Semi-nomadic
Officials emphasize the importance of the communicor in the unique context of the Malaipandaram community. Traditionally semi -international, they have long lived in Sabarimala forests, largely disconnected from the main society. Their livelihood continues to depend on the forest ecosystem and their hesitation to integrate into a wider society has made them one of the most personal marginalized groups of Kerala.
According to official estimates, only 837 Malaipandaram tribes live in 12 settlements in Pathanamthitta. Smaller groups are also located in the extended forests of IDUKKI and Achencoil in the Kollam district.
Published – May 13, 2025 20:05
