Kanyama was once part of Melle Mulli, a hamlets that lies close to the Tamil Nadu border. This hamlet was scattered in different areas several years ago, just like any other hamlets in Attapadi. But most of the families left their huts near their agricultural land and moved down to the present hamlet where all of the families live together now.

Kanyama is inside a mountain jungle and takes an average of two hours travelling to reach from Melle Mulli hamlet. Only one family remains in Kanyama though they have a house in Melle Mulli hamlet. One person, Rangan, who is mentally retarded, refused to move down to the Melle Mulli hamlet where all of the other families reside now.

The family in Kanyama includes the couple Chathan and Maruthi and their five children: Rangaswami, Kumar, Sundaran, Palani, and Lakshmanan. Three of them studied up to tenth standard. Lakshmanan is still pursuing his studies, at least in records. Rangan, the person who refuses to leave their land, is Maruthi’s brother.

Maruthi has an employment guarantee scheme work card. She will go down to Melle Mulli for work whenever she can manage. Chathan and the children take care of the cattle and goats.

"It’s not easy to find food for young goats in the jungle. We need to search a lot, sometimes further deep inside the jungle," Lakshman said.

The point is that most of the families already stopped agriculture in their lands which are inside the forest. It’s not a particular case with this hamlet. Most of the tribal people in Attapadi left agriculture because it’s not possible to stop wild animals from entering their farming land. Some of them are still trusting in agriculture and doing it only in the land that is close to the house they live in.
This is how forest grows and people lose in long term.