The book is written in an interesting format, where the author identifies one protagonist from six different tribes - the Halakkis of Ankola, the Kanjars of Chambal, the Kurumbas of the Nilgiris, the Marias of Bastar, the Khasis of Shillong, and the Konyaks of Nagaland - and leads the readers through their daily lives, while giving us a historical and cultural context of their tribes. Kundalia's book not only brings interesting stories of the cultural and social heritage of the Adivasis but also aims to ask several pertinent socio-political questions like how has the changing environment and economy of India affected these tribal communities? How has their movement outwards from the isolated depths of the forests and remote mountains, and the partial integration with the rest of society, changed them? How do these changes affect individuals? Do they bring these individuals into conflict with the larger goals of their tribal societies and villages? It is this lack of documentation of the personal history of Indian tribes, that author Nidhi Dugar Kundalia has tried to remedy in her latest book - White As Milk And Rice, Stories of India's isolated Tribes. Unfortunately, this rich heritage has scarcely been documented. The original inhabitants of India, these Adivasis still live in forests and hills, with religious beliefs, traditions and rituals so far removed from the rest of the country that they represent an anthropological wealth of our heritage.
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The Kanjars have plundered, looted and killed generation after generation, and will show you how to roast a lizard when hungry. The Hallaki women from the Konkan coast sing throughout the day-in forests, fields, the market and at protests. Maria girls from Bastar, for instance, practise sex as an institution before marriage, but with rules - one may not sleep with a partner more than three times.