News: Under Samagra Shiksha Kerala, the Education Department prepared exclusive talking textbooks for a bed-ridden Cholanaikkan tribal girl.

About Cholanaikkan Tribe

• One of the most isolated Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of India.
• Inhabit the Nilambur Valley, Malappuram district, Kerala.
• Also known as Malanaikan/Sholanaikan and the "Cavemen of Kerala".
• Only cave-dwelling tribal community in India.

Key Features

• Population: Less than 400.
• Live in caves or temporary shelters near water sources.
• Depend on forest gathering (scavenging); do not practise cultivation.
• Speak a unique Dravidian-related language, distinct from modern Dravidian languages.
• Live in protected forests with minimal outside contact.
• Conservation Statusà Classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).