Kurumbar or Kurubaru or Kurumba caste are shepherds of South India. They are indigenous people of India. Even though they are called in different names like 'Kurumbar' or 'Kuruba' and these names are synonyms and one and the same. They speak Kuruman tribal Kannada language. Their God is Veerabadra (Beera dhevaru).The state government give most backward class and backward class..the central government give other backward class.They celebrate the God by breaking coconuts on their heads. Their folk dance is SERVAIATTAM, they will dance to the tunes of Kuruman drum beats whole night praying their God Veerabadhra for the well being of humanity and their herds. Their surnames are Gowda, Kuruma, Heggade, Naiker, Nayak, Nayage, Anuppar and others.
The British Government had given certain privileges to these neglected people. A reserved constituency, free lands and reservation in government jobs were offered under Indian (British) Constitution Act 1935. But today, their own government in Tamil Nadu has been denying community certificates and depriving the privileges conferred to tribals under Constitution of India. Because of this, yesteryear's rulers have been leading a distressed, painful and untold misery of life today (Ref. Census of Inida).
Some of the inept revenue officials who do not know anthropology or meaning of the English word Kurumans denying community certificates to these people and they have been subjected to harassment. It is alleged that Dravidian parties in the state are not willing to translate this English word Kurumans into Dravidian languages and they are shedding crocodile tears for this God's own people only in words. They know that if they translate Kurumabars in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam the decades of their suppression on this tribal community will be known to the World. The word 'Kuri' is a Kanarese word meaning sheep 'Man (English man) or 'ba' or 'bar/man' or 'ban' (meaning a person in Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam), i.e.,KURUBA/KURUMBAR/KURUMBA meaning the person who is tending sheep in English, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam respectively. (Ref. Castes and Tribes of South India by Edger Thurston -1909).
Because of lack of unity and good leaders among them, they have been undergoing untold misery of life since long. Dravidian Political parties in the state should understand that this kind of suppression will not work continuously and one day they have to realize the fact considering the emerging political alternative wind which is fast blowing from Delhi to Kanyakumari. Tamil Nadu govt. should learn from their Kerala counterpart as they translated English tribal words Kurumbas or Kurumans as Kurumbar in Malayalam and included synonyms for the community to remove the confusion in issuing community certificates to them.
Kurumbar
Classification: Caste/Dhangar (Shepherd)
Significant populations in: Northern India, Western India, Southern India, and Central India
Language Kannada
Religion Hinduism
