At the entrance of Marlavai, a village nestled deep in the tribal heartland of Telangana’s Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, a commemorative arch reading ‘Adivasula Aathmabandhuvu Haimendorf Betty Elizabeth’ stands like a sentinel. At first glance, it might seem like an ordinary welcome, but it conceals the fascinating tale of an unlikely bond forged between a tribal community and an Austrian anthropologist who made this land his home.
Tucked away at the forest’s edge, Marlavai was once a nondescript tribal village, located about 300 kilometres from the State capital Hyderabad. Life here followed a rhythm as old as the hills — simple, quiet, and steeped in the traditions of the Raj Gond tribe. That changed in the 1940s, during the reign of the Nizam, when Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf and his wife Elizabeth arrived here. Drawn by their passion for anthropology, the couple lived in a modest mud-walled, thatched-roof home, immersing themselves in the community’s way of life for two years.
Visitors to this tranquil hamlet are drawn to the memorial that houses the tombs of Haimendorf and Elizabeth, lying side by side. Nearby, a photo gallery stands in their honour, offering glimpses into the lives of the couple who made Marlavai their second home.
Haimendorf’s legacy continues to live through his pioneering contribution to promote literacy among the aboriginal people as an instrument of transformative change among the indigenous Raj Gond community. His deep commitment to their welfare earned him the title of ‘Athma Bandhuvu’ — a soul friend, a revered figure whose influence is palpable even decades later.
A deep bond
His landmark tribal welfare initiatives were far ahead of their time. Through meticulous field studies conducted along with his wife Elizabeth in the 1940s, Haimendorf identified the socio-economic challenges faced by the Raj Gonds under the Nizam’s rule in the erstwhile united Adilabad district. Their work went beyond academic interest, delving into actionable solutions to uplift the community, securing the couple a unique place in the hearts of Marlavai’s people.
It leaves one to ponder: what drew this learned couple, hailing from privileged backgrounds in Austria, to a remote tribal village thousands of miles away? What made them not only embrace Marlavai as their second home but also choose its soil as their eternal resting place?
“It is the warmth of the Raj Gonds and the strategic location of Marlavai in the geographical centre of the erstwhile Adilabad district that made them reside in Marlavai in the 1940s,” says Thodsam Chandu, the first doctor from the Raj Gond tribe in the State and a former District Medical and Health Officer of Adilabad.
He says he was in class VI when he first met Haimendorf in Tiryani, a village in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, in 1976. “He encouraged me to pursue higher education. I had the rare opportunity of meeting him later while pursuing an MBBS course in Hyderabad during the 1980s,” he reminisces.
In 2012, Dr. Chandu witnessed a poignant moment when Haimendorf’s family arrived in Marlavai to enshrine his ashes alongside his wife Elizabeth’s in the village they had cherished. Reflecting on this, he describes the couple’s profound connection to Marlavai as a transformative chapter for the tribal communities of the erstwhile composite Adilabad district.
Haimendorf’s contributions were monumental. His painstaking research led to the establishment of Teacher Training Centres in Marlavai and Ginnedhari villages under the ‘Gond Education Scheme’, an initiative that empowered Adivasi youth through education.
He also championed land rights for tribal families, facilitating the redistribution of nearly 1,80,000 acres of forest land — a lifeline for countless families. Remarkably, Haimendorf achieved fluency in the Gondi language, while Elizabeth, fondly referred to as Jangu Bai by local Adivasi women, became a beloved figure among the community.
Kanaka Tukaram, son of the late Gussadi dance maestro Kanaka Raju, gestures toward the sprawling banyan tree near the Government Ashram High School in Marlavai. “This is where Haimendorf once held court,” he says, recalling the days when Adivasis from distant villages gathered under its shade to converse with the anthropologist. The tree, like the village itself, stands as a silent witness to an extraordinary relationship that bridged continents, cultures, and centuries.
“My son, Yadav Rao, is determined to carry forward the cultural legacy of his grandfather in preserving the iconic Gussadi dance for posterity,” Kanaka Tukaram declares with pride.
The photo gallery set up in memory of the famous ethnographer in the village has a rich collection of pictures depicting the milestones of his extraordinary journey through the tribal heartlands and capture his efforts to understand and uplift the Gonds, from 1942 to 1944.
“The names of Haimendorf and Elizabeth will forever remain etched in our hearts,” says Kanaka Venkatesh, a third-generation teacher from a Raj Gond family.
Shaping the future
For Venkatesh, the connection to Haimendorf’s legacy is personal. His grandfather, Kanaka Hannu master, was among the first teachers trained at the teachers’ training centre established by Haimendorf in 1942. Inspired by that, Venkatesh and his family have continued the tradition of teaching. His father, Sone Rao, and sister, Anuradha, are educators too.
Haimendorf facilitated tribal darbars at Keslapur and Jodeghat, providing a platform for Adivasis to voice their grievances directly, explains M.Lingu, general secretary of the Haimendorf Youth Association in Marlavai. “That paved the way for the concept of bringing governance to the doorsteps of people.”
Haimendorf’s assignment to conduct an intensive field study of Adilabad’s tribal region was pivotal. It came at a time when unrest among Adivasis was at its peak following the martyrdom of Kumram Bheem, the legendary tribal leader who fought for Adivasi rights with the rallying cry of “jal, jangal, aur jameen” (water, forest, and land) in September 1940. The Nizam’s regime, eager to understand and quell the discontent, sought Haimendorf’s expertise, says an elderly villager from Marlavai, requesting anonymity.
In recognition of his efforts, Haimendorf was appointed adviser to the Nizam’s Government for Tribes and Backward Classes. The role helped him sensitise authorities to the land issues plaguing Adivasis and push for solutions. His initiative resulted in the allotment of title deeds to thousands of tribal families, providing a semblance of security and mitigating longstanding land disputes to a significant extent.
The needs
Despite these strides, challenges persist. “There’s still a long way to go,” the elderly villager remarks, adding that Adivasis need better access to higher education, protection from exploitation by non-aboriginal people, and stronger safeguards for their interests.
The ashes of Haimendorf, who passed away in London in 1995, were ceremoniously enshrined beside the tomb of his wife Elizabeth in Marlavai in 2012, in adherence to the customs of the Raj Gond tribe.
Such was his bond with the village that he named his son Nicholas after Athram Lachu Patel, the village headman at the time, recalls Patel’s grandson, Atram Bhagwantha Rao, quoting the village elders.
Sitting in his modest mud-walled home in Marlavai, Athram reminisces about how the legendary Gussadi dance master, Kanaka Raju, often spoke of the renowned anthropologist’s deep affection for their village.
Haimendorf’s book titled ‘The Raj Gonds of Adilabad – A Peasant Culture of Deccan’ chronicles his immersive research work on tribal culture, customs, myths, economy and the socio-economic conditions of the aboriginal people, remarks Manohar, a teacher working in a tribal welfare educational institution in Utnoor (Adilabad district).
His ethnographic monographs provide a meticulous account of tribal customs, traditional practices, marriage rituals, and funeral rites, offering a valuable window into Adivasi culture.
Gaps persist despite efforts
However, a large chunk of the Adivasi population in Adilabad’s tribal heartland continues to be deprived of access to higher education, notes Purka Bapu Rao, district president of the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samiti (Tudum Debba).
Bapu Rao laments the lack of a university in the tribal-dominated district and the defunct state of the Teacher Training Centre (TTC) in Utnoor. Access to technical and higher education for aboriginal people holds the key to empowering them and enabling them to defend their rights, he emphasises.
“The real tribute to Haimendorf would be to set up TTCs and Vocational Skill Development Training Centres among other institutes of higher learning in the Agency areas,” he opines, underscoring the urgent need for educational infrastructure to honour the anthropologist’s enduring contributions.
Declining minor forest produce has cast a shadow on the livelihoods of Adivasis, forcing them to rely on rain-fed agriculture and tenant farming for sustenance.
Resolving the long-pending podu (shifting cultivation) land issues and granting title deeds to eligible Adivasi farmers under the Recognition of Forest Rights (RoFR) Act is crucial, the Adivasi leader points out.
He underscores the need for strict enforcement of laws such as the Land Transfer Regulation Act 1 of 1970 to curb the unchecked influx of non-tribals and prevent tribal land alienation.
The Government Ashram High School in Marlavai, with a student strength of 253, is a beacon of education for tribal children. A digital library is also being set up near the school, says Srinivas, Assistant Tribal Development Officer at the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Jainoor.
The ITDA operates 133 Ashram Schools across the erstwhile undivided Adilabad district, addressing the educational needs of tribal children in Kumram Bheem Asifabad, Adilabad, Nirmal, and Mancherial districts.
A host of events, including cultural competitions in Gussadi dance and other tribal art forms, along with a blood donation camp, have been lined up to commemorate the 38th death anniversary of Elizabeth this weekend, in Marlavai.
Elizabeth, also a renowned ethnographer, died on January 11, 1987, in Hyderabad while Haimendorf passed away in London on June 11, 1995.
The couple’s groundbreaking research and relentless efforts to preserve tribal culture and heritage have left an indelible legacy among tribal communities across South Asia, points out a village elder.
Published – January 10, 2025 11:35 am IST
