Q. 'Irula tribe', recently seen in the news, primarily resides in which states?
Answer:
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka
Notes: The Irula Snake Catchers' Industrial Cooperative Society, run by Irula tribals near Chennai, faces an uncertain future.
Irulas are one of India's oldest indigenous communities and are classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG). They live mainly in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka and speak the Irula language, related to Tamil and Kannada.
Irulas are pantheists with a main deity, Kanniamma, associated with the cobra. Traditionally skilled in hunting, herbal medicine, and snake-catching, they are experts in snake rescue and venom extraction. Their cooperative supplies 80% of the venom used to produce anti-snake venom in India.