Kathmandu: An indigenous family has been living in complete isolation for the past 25 years in a dense forest atop a high hill in Aswaraopeta mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district in India’s Telangana state.
The family consists of only three members—a husband, wife, and their son. The nearest sign of human settlement lies about three kilometers downhill from their home. There is no electricity, mobile phone network, or other modern facilities in the area, yet the family has continued to live there for decades.
The forested hill lies within the Kanthalam forest range of Telangana, near the border with Andhra Pradesh. Close to the area is the Gubbala Mangamma temple, revered by local tribal communities. The temple closes to visitors after 6 pm. About three kilometers uphill from the temple, around 40 tribal families once lived in a village known as Gogulapudi.
Since the 1990s, authorities have tried to relocate these families, citing the inability to provide basic facilities such as electricity, clean drinking water, and education in the forest area. In 2000, 39 of the 40 families agreed to move to a rehabilitation colony built at the foothills under the Kavadigundla Panchayat. However, one man, Guruguntla Reddy, refused to leave the forest. His wife Lakshmi and son Gangireddy chose to stay with him.
Officials initially believed Reddy would eventually change his mind after seeing the development and facilities provided to his relatives and neighbors in the resettlement area. But even after many years, the family has remained in the forest.
Speaking to a BBC team that trekked to their home, Lakshmi said she would live wherever her husband chose to live, while her son Gangireddy said he would stay with his parents.
Describing life without electricity, Lakshmi said, “During the day, there is the sun. At night, there is the moon and stars. In winter, when it gets dark, we light a fire. Dry grass is easily available here.” She added that she can tell the difference between day and night but does not know the date or time.
Asked if they fear living in the dense forest, Lakshmi and Gangireddy said they are not afraid. “We light a fire that burns till morning. Animals do nothing to us. They live here, and we live here. Even snakes don’t harm us. We are used to all this,” they said.
The family grows paddy, millets such as jowar and foxtail millet, and vegetables mainly for their own consumption. They collect water from a nearby stream, which flows even during summer and overflows in the monsoon.
Lakshmi said she had nine children, seven of whom died. Only two are alive—a son and a daughter. Her daughter is married and lives at the foothills.
When asked about health care, Gangireddy said they rely on traditional medicine. “If we feel unwell, we take indigenous medicines from trees. We eat fruits and leaves, and nothing happens,” he said. However, Lakshmi now has weak eyesight and walks with the help of a stick.
The family has built five huts in the forest—separate huts for each family member, one for chickens and dogs, and another to store firewood. To prevent rainwater from leaking inside, they use flex banners collected from nearby temple festivals as roofing material.
Gangireddy is uneducated and unmarried. Lakshmi said they never went down from the hill, which is why he could not attend school. Gangireddy said he does not want to marry unless a woman agrees to live with him on the hill.
Reddy and his son only travel as far as the Gubbala Mangamma temple at the foothills. Gangireddy told the BBC he has never gone beyond the temple in his life.
According to Motilal, the Panchayat Secretary of the tribal rehabilitation colony under Kavadigundla Panchayat, the government tried to provide Aadhaar and ration cards to the family, but Reddy and his son refused because it required them to come down and be photographed.
Lakshmi, however, said she occasionally goes down to visit her daughter and relatives in the resettlement colony. She said she has Aadhaar and ration cards and sometimes collects rations, but her husband and son never leave the forest.
Lakshmi said her husband believes he was born in the forest and will die there. She added that Reddy fears being forcibly taken down by officials. According to her, this fear has intensified recently after the family’s existence came to light and media and officials began visiting the area.
“He is scared. When he sees people, he runs away. He only comes home after sunset. Now, if he sees anyone in the forest, he throws stones out of fear,” Lakshmi said.
The family’s solitary life in the forest for the past 25 years has only recently drawn public and administrative attention.
