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A photograph is a secret about a secret.
The more it tells you the less you know.
- Diane Arbus.
My ongoing project ‘The Last Halakkis’ is based on a tribe which comprises of women called the Halakki Vokkaliga who sing out their stories to everyone. They are located in the Karwar district in a small town called Ankola in the northern part of Karnataka. It is said that when God was having milk and rice he gave a combined name for these two things called ‘’Halakkis’’, where ‘Halu’ means milk and ‘Akki’ means rice. They are called as the vanishing tribe as their kids who belong to the new generation have completely abandoned the culture. Walking on a muddy pathway wearing the most unique attire & covering their bare neck with black, yellow and white color bead necklaces, they work at multiple places to earn their living. They have been following the attire since generations and they adore it so much that they never wanted to change and transform themselves. They say that ‘Mani’ (beads) are their symbol of strength for their neck and themselves as usually they work very hard and climb mountains in search of firewood and they believe that if they don’t wear ‘Mani’s’ (beads), their neck might start to shake. They work in paddy fields, sell various types of garlands, fruits and vegetables, etc for their living. They also perform at various functions and occasions to entertain the audience and keep their culture alive. They wear bangles, tie garlands and also wear colorful saris. The Halakki women always believed that music can change the lives of the people as they are now vanishing so they sing their traditional Kannada songs as loud as they can to keep their culture alive. The Halakki women have a song dedicated to each situation, they are women with content stamina. As they lead a very simple lifestyle, they also believe in preserving their culture and keeping the traditions alive. In current situation, there are around 300 Halakki women left, scattered in various villages. In Belamber there are only 10 Halakki women present at the moment.