Subgugated nomads : the lambdas under the rule of the nizams

This book traces the historical transition of the Lambada community of Hyderabad State under the Nizams during colonial rule. The study spans nearly two centuries from the early eighteenth to the middle of the twentieth century. The author shows how this community, originally caravan traders, confronted the colonial state power which had adversely transformed their lives.

The growth of market economy and transport hampered the Lambadas' caravan. trade. The state discouraged their nomadic ways, inducing them to become peasants on wastelands and in forest tracts. From the mid-nineteenth century, they had to depend on cattle-raising and agriculture, often becoming agricultural labourers. The state came to view their extension of agriculture as a threat to forest conservation, subjecting them to harassment and eviction. The Lambadas began to lose their land through usurious money-lending and extortion. In addition the zamindars claimed rights over wastelands and extracted taxes. Exploitation compelled the Lambadas to work as bonded labourers on farms. During famines and the off-season, some even resorted to dacoity. This led the state to brand them as 'criminal tribes' under surveillance. Protracted suffering and victimisation led the Lambadas to revolt, which, at the end of the Nizams' rule, transformed into the Telangana armednstruggle.

The Lambadas responded to the challenges through a programme of self-reform. From the 1820s, leaders emerged from within the community, who rearticulated Lambada history, spiritual beliefs and culture. These find expression in their oral tradition which shaped their community identity. This interdisciplinary work will be useful for students and scholars of history, sociology, and identity politics.