-: Let me begin with a brief background of my research.
The Nallamala Forest in the southern part of India
is home to a large population of tigers,
as well as the Chenchu people
living in indigenous manners.
Now, suddenly, it's 1970 and tigers
are recognized as endangered species.
The government decides to protect the tiger population
and also bring socioeconomic development
to the Chenchu people.
In order to do this the government decides
to remove the people from the forest
to the nearby towns and cities.
Now, the forest has become a tiger reserve
and the people have become internally displaced persons.
Now, the government has been providing
a lot of developmental initiatives,
such as land for agriculture, employment, roads, water,
and health and education subsidies
for the holistic development of the Chenchu people.
However, there has been an uneven or unequal result
of this developmental agenda.
If providing these developmental initiatives
is how the government is defining development,
how are the Chenchu people defining
their own development?
What is their narrative?
Are they happy?
This is where my research intervenes.
The Chenchu people have been living
in traditional forms from time immemorial.
So, my research looks at three aspects.
What is the Chenchu's perspective on the development,
on tiger conservation,
empowerment, identity?
And secondly, what is the government's initiative
or strategies for the displacement of the people?
And thirdly, how has this displacement itself
affected the social, economic, and political
living conditions of the people?
Now, you may ask, why is my research important at all?
First of all, my research acts as an effective mediator
between the Chenchu people and the government's policies.
It sees if the people's expectations
and the government's provisions are matching.
Secondly, my research findings
can help the government formulate
its own developmental policies to suit
the Chenchu people's definition of development.
On the whole, my research tries to attain
a win-win situation between the government
and the Chenchu people.
Thank you.