A few days ago a picture and a footage showing Kerala’s tribal kids eating from garbage appeared in a regional newspaper ‘Mathrubhumi’. Surprisingly, it wasn’t picked up by mainstream media. May be, because it shows how greed of corrupt government has ended up with such heart-melting, miserable poverty in tribal areas.

Some kids were spotted at a garbage dump unit at Kunithala in Pervaoor, Kerala. According to sources, adivasi (Tribal) people including starving children reach the waste management centre almost daily to procure leftovers of rotten fruits, vegetables and unconsumed or partially consumed food waste from commercial restaurants and bakeries.

Adivasi children forage for food at the waste dumping yard at …Two children, aged eight and 10, climb over the walls of the yard and scavenge for food among the piles of waste and salvage food” from the waste from hotels, bakeries and other places and eat the stale food, rotten vegetables and fruits. Credit: Mathrubhumi News Posted by Planet Custodian on Saturday, 28 November 2015

Kids, who do go to schools, come out of homes after their parents leave for work. The poor advasi children segregate the waste and collect edibles in plastic bags or discarded boxes. They find a comfortable corner or a wall where they eat anything that is edible. For a hungry stomach, battling everyday for survival, hygiene or health-hazards matter least.

UDF government claims that it has spent crores of rupees on the development of tribal areas in last four and half years. However, these visuals do not lie about the bogus claims. Tribal people are the worst hit by corruption of the politicians. The money sanctioned for tribal seems to have disappeared.

As per the reaction of opposition leader V S Achuthanandan after seeing the image, the tribals have been reduced to eating from garbage dump and that the picture was a reflection of the developmental claims of UDF government.

“The UDF government claims that it has spent crores on the tribal population. Then how come starvation deaths are being reported there? Why are there infant deaths? The pathetic picture of the tribal hamlets in Attappady had become news earlier also. The fact that tribal people are being forced to eat from garbage is shocking. Cases should be registered under the ‘Prevention of Atrocities against the SC/ST Act’ against those responsible for the same,” V S Achuthananthan said.

No one seems to have been moved by such heart-breaking picture depicting extreme poverty in an Indian state. No patriot or religious organizations showed up or reacted to it. The media is busy in covering criticism of Amir Khan for daring to speak his heart. No matter how non-sense it was to criticize an Indian citizen for expressing his views, entire mainstream media and blogosphere was buzzing with derogatory reactions.

But, this picture that was supposed to be on the front pages of newspapers and footage that should have been played on news channels, died due to the poor preference of media houses.

Only reaction was from Malayalam superstar Monhanlal. On his blog he wrote:

“There are many schemes, departments and officials for the well being of tribals, but still these people come to towns to eat wasted food. From ministers to a common man like me, we are responsible for this situation. None of us are sincere. We should find out why these kids go through these difficulties despite there being many government schemes for their upliftment. Seeing the shocking photo of young boys filling their stomach with waste food, I express deep regrets as a human being, as a Malayali and as a person who enjoys eating. For being a part of this crime, I am apologise to the entire human race.”

Somewhere, silence of those who should speak for these deprived souls is also part of this crime.