Jodeghat (KB Asifabad): Addressing a public meeting in Adilabad, Amit Shah invoked tribal legend Kumaram Bheem as Telangana’s liberation icon.
Bheem has a name in the history for taking on the might of the Nizams, but his grandchildren are living in political oblivion.
His great-grandsons Kumaram Bande Rao and Yadav Rao, work at Kumaram Bheem Tribal Museum and granddaughter is an outsourcing worker.
Jangubai, his granddaughter told TOI that, “I get Rs 3,000 a month as a cook. With a meager salary, life is a struggle, often traumatic. I’m finding it difficult to fund my children’s education.”
“If my children get a proper education, they can get jobs and survive. As we have no land or income, I started working as an outsourcing worker eight years ago,” she added.
Apart from cooking, Jangubai also serves food to 166 students, mostly Adivasis of nearby gudems (hamlets), of the satellite school.
Bande Rao, work as an attender and guides visitors at the museum. He explains tribal customs and traditions and the fight put up by Adivasi leaders. He survives on a salary of only Rs 8000.
His brother Yadav Rao gets just Rs 3,000 for his gardening chores at the memorial built for his great-grandfather.
During re-organization of districts in 2016, the Telangana government split Adilabad district into four and named the Asifabad segment after the Adivasi leader. Though all political parties exploit Kumaram Bheem’s name and use it for their vested interest, his kin, including grandchildren, continue to live in indigence.