Participating in the Legislative Assembly elections in Karnataka may have been the last thing on the minds of the Hakki Pikki tribals from different parts of Karnataka who were stranded in war-torn Sudan.
Back in their village of Pakshirajapura in Hunsur taluk near here days after their evacuation from the conflict zone in Sudan under Operation Kaveri, the Hakki Pikki tribals were preparing to cast their votes in the local polling booth on Wednesday morning.
Much relieved
“We are relieved to be back. We were staying in a lodge in Khartoum when fighting broke out and raged on incessantly, spreading panic and anxiety among us,” said Shilavathi, who was among the 60 to 70 Hakki Pikki tribals who returned to Pakshirajapura in different batches over the last few days.
Recounting her frightening ordeal trapped in the Khartoum lodge, Ms. Shilavathi said they were forced to endure food and drinking water scarcity amid the absence of electricity while heavy gunfire and air bombardment raged all around them.
She was joined by Madan, Nagina, Airaj, and Naseema, all Hakki Pikki tribals hailing from Pakshirajapura, who expressed relief over their successful evacuation. “After being trapped in the lodge for about a week, we were driven for several hours from Khartoum to Port Sudan from where we were put on a flight to Jeddah before reaching Bengaluru just a few days ago,” said Mr. Airaj.
Globe trotters
Ms. Shilavathi said she makes visits to not only Sudan and other African countries such as Gabon, but also to destinations such as Dubai, Muscat, Kuwait, and even London to sell herbal hair oil.
“Whenever I visit a country, I stay for two to five months. Our products such as the herbal hair oil enjoy a good demand in these countries,” she said.
Raised loans
Another tribal person said they had raised loans to visit Sudan with herbal products but had to cut short the visit on account of the fighting and incur losses.
Mr. Airaj said their ancestors hailed from Gujarat while Ms. Shilavathi said they speak a language that was a mix of Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi, besides the local Kannada.
