The term “Relli” means a kind of grass in the Telugu language. Their lifestyle is very close to nature. They collect natural products especially different types of grass and sell them for livelihood.
Population in the Project Area: 7,21,944
The People
India
The Relli people are an indigenous community found primarily in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The traditional occupation of the Relli people was to gather and sell grass. At present, the Relli sell fruits and seeds and are also involved in other occupations, including street sweeping and scavenging. They are a Scheduled Caste in Andhra Pradesh. The community includes a few social subdivisions and each of these includes several clans. They mainly follow Hinduism. Relli people live in gardens and under mango trees. They live in houses made up of palm leaves. The men wear the traditional Pancha and women wear the traditional saree with blouse. Their staple food is rice, wheat, or maize and vegetables. Meat is cooked on special occasions.
The community has a low literacy rate. Women’s literacy is very weak. Most men have only a primary level of education. They faced many socio-economic problems such as superstition, low self esteem, etc.
The Project
Mother-Tongue literacy.
The Relli language belongs to the Dravidian language family. This language is a minority language with limited resources and recognition. Mother tongue is close to their heart because they love to speak in their language. The Relli people have a positive attitude toward the literacy program.
With the aid of mother tongue speakers and support from linguists, we have developed literacy materials for training purposes. These materials have been designed using a pre-existing framework and methodology. They comprise a pre-reader, a set of books that introduce the alphabet in a structured manner, a complementary storybook, a rudimentary math textbook, teacher’s guides, a spelling guide, and an alphabet chart. These materials were presented at the literacy workshops, which have seen an increasing number of participants showing interest in the program. This is an encouraging indicator of successful progress in our efforts to promote literacy within the community.
Progress
As of March 2023
The Relli people have been positively impacted by the literacy workshops introduced in their community. They have come to recognize the value of education in improving their lives and self-esteem. The literacy program has been designed to help them learn in their mother tongue, which is an important step towards making progress. The engaging materials prepared for the program, including pre-readers, alphabet books, storybooks, basic math books, teacher’s guides, spelling guides, and alphabet charts, have been tested and are now being used in the workshops. The growing interest and participation in the program indicate its success. It provides access to education for those who previously lacked such opportunities, thereby improving their cognitive abilities, social skills, and economic prospects. The literacy committee is being trained to recruit and train mother tongue teachers and monitor the program’s progress. Experts have lauded the program for its potential to transform people’s lives and instill a sense of worth by promoting learning in one’s mother tongue.