New Delhi, April 20, 2023, Thursday
A civil war has broken out in the African country of Sudan, which is 5 thousand km away from India. The battle for power between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces has left millions unable to leave their homes. The situation in the capital Khartoum is very serious. According to the information received, 31 people of Hakki Pikki Community of Karnataka state are trapped in Al Fasher city of Sudan.
This is a tribal Community living in the state of Karnataka who have great knowledge of medicinal plants and medicines. In African countries, there is a high demand for indigenous medicines to replace expensive allopathic medicines. Hakki Pikki tribes go to African countries and trade herbs. It is necessary to know the meaning of this name, which seems to be hakki pikki atapatta.
In Kannada language Hakki means bird and Pikki means catch. The community birders who traditionally catch birds are Hakki Pikki. The community was rehabilitated after bird hunting was banned in the 1970s. After that he started working as a farm laborer in the farm. Some came to the cities and started getting jobs by riding bicycles and sharpening knives and scissors.
The people of this community are connoisseurs of traditional medicines and herbs. They also sell medicinal herbs. The tribes of the Hakki Pikki community live mainly in Shimoga, Dwawangere and Mysore in Karnataka. Although they live in South India, they speak an Indo-Aryan language. Their mother tongue is Vagari which is not particularly understood by people outside the community. UNESCO has listed the language of the Hakki Pikki community as an endangered language of the world.
The population of this community in Karnataka is 11892 people. The people of this community were visiting Sudan for medicinal business related work. In African countries, there is a high demand for indigenous medicines instead of expensive allopathic medicines. The people of this community are caught up in the violence that started in Sudan. It is known that people do not have enough food and drink facilities.
As the hours are counting down to the assembly elections in the state of Karnataka, the entrapment of the people of the Hakki Pikki community in Sudan has become a political issue. Congress has appealed to Bombay Government of Karnataka to save the tribal people of Karnataka trapped in Sudan. According to information received, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has spoken to his counterpart from Saudi Arabia and UAE about the current situation in Sudan.
