THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A leader who dared to take on the might of the state for the land rights of underprivileged tribal communities, C K Janu is now on a new mission: learning English. She has enrolled for a communicative English course as part of her wish to take up issues directly with state and central officials.

Janu joined the Nila Academy in Mananthavady, Wayanad, in September 2023. “I have been attending classes since September,” Janu told TNIE. “However, after my mother passed away on November 2, I have missed lectures. I have some rituals to complete, after which I will rejoin classes,” she said.

Janu, who led the 2003 Muthanga struggle for tribal land rights as a result of which she became the target of brutal police repression, is of the view that it is essential to learn the English language to survive in the present day.

“Malayalam is not enough to communicate with state and central officials who deal with issues relating to scheduled tribes. I have been relying on individuals for such communication. The problem with this is that we have to wait for their convenient dates to fix appointments. Finally, interpreters end up failing to convey issues in the manner we desire and we are unsure what exactly they have communicated,” she said.

Janu has been relying on translators ever since she became a leader of the indigenous people. At the 1993 Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) meeting in Thailand, she spoke with the help of a translator. When she reached the New Delhi airport, she was prevented from boarding a flight as she had no emigration clearance.