Nadars of Tamilnad

Among the various communities of South India, the Nadars have perhaps most clearly evidenced the impact of change over the past 200 years. Considered by high-caste Hindus in the early nineteenth century to be of extremely low status, the Nadars-toddy-tappers, climbers of the palmyra palm-suffered severe social disabilities and were among the most depressed communities in the Tamil country. Because...