Without knowledge of English, members of Hakki Pikki tribe trot the globe

Mysuru: Although their provenance lies in southern Karnataka, members of the nomadic

Hakki Pikki

community have etched their footprints on lands as distant as the United Kingdom in Europe, and Ivory Coast lying on the edge of Africa. From Sadashivapura in Shivamogga to small towns in Uganda, members of the tribe travel to far-flung places to purvey indigenous products such as herbal oil. What is more surprising is the fact that the members know little Hindi, and none when it comes to English.

The state’s Non-Resident Indian Forum, which is trying to educate the members of the community on the various processes that a trip abroad entails, including procurement of a visa. Deputy chairperson of the NRI Forum, Karnataka, Arathi Krishna told The Times of India, “I visited Sadashivapura and the surrounding areas recently and decided to form district-level committees to extend a helping hand to them in the event of any untoward incidents.”

According to the findings of the study conducted by the forum, it is mostly youngsters from the community who are travelling abroad plying herbal products, toys, et al, abeit without product licence and specification. “Along with their herbal oil, they also offer a body massage at a throwaway price. Since they offer their services at prices that are modest in comparison to the local parlours and saloons, they have a great demand in these countries. They stay for around five to six months in a country, and return to India with what they have earned. They return to their villages till their money runs out,” Arathi said.

Expressing surprise at the number of countries the members of the tribe had travelled to, Arathi added, “Ivory Coast, Ghana, Russia, France, Sri Lanka are among the countries they have been to. They have managed to market their products very well despite little knowledge of Hindi, and no knowledge of English.”

Pointing out that the problem was that they were engaging in trade of these artifacts without the requisite permission or licence, Arathi said, “They visit these countries without any licence or permits. Sometimes, the items they wish to sell are prohibited in countries. We are trying to educate them in these aspects.”

Voicing concern over exploitation of the community members by agents who promised them visa on arrival, among other things, she said, “This is why the forum wants to educate them on issues such as banned drugs, visa, passport regulations, etc.”