This is a selection of images from an on-going project, since 2017, documenting the Irula tribe of Tamilnadu - classified as particularly vulnerable. The project spans various aspects of their lifestyle, livelihood, their beliefs and cultural practices. Click Published stories for in-depth content.
Foraging for edibles, fishing, hunting small animals and birds for their daily food, life for the Irulas once largely revolved around forests and scrub surrounding their hamlets. Over the years, forest cover has shrunk - taken over by the growing suburbs and occupied for farming or construction. Access to forests is increasingly restricted and hunting prohibited. Lakes are now auctioned, restricting the Irulas' access to fish. Their traditional lifestyles are undergoing a change, threatening to erode the wealth of their knowledge and skill, passed down over generations. The Irulas now rely on daily wage work on farms, brick kilns or government public works, earning meagre wages that do not match the changing aspirations.