My name is Ramesh. I work in The Shola Trust as a wildlife conservationist. In this blog, I am writing about my conversation with my grandfather, Bomman thatha (grandfather), about the bonding between Adivasi people and the forest. Bomman thatha is from the Bettakurumba tribe. He lives in the village, Kanjikolly, along the edge of Mudmalai and, of course, has great knowledge about forest and honey collection, fishing, and collecting tubers and medicinal plants. Bomman thatha

Coexisting with elephants would seem unthinkable and impossible to most of us. Yet adivasis in Gudalur have done so for generations and continue to do so. They share their home, the forest, with elephants. Their kids take paths frequented by elephants while going to school. We wondered, what has been the basis of this coexistence? Is it their understanding of elephant behavior acquired over generations of sharing space with them? Is it cultural tolerance? Or is it faith? Whil