Post Graduate Programme in Management

Batch: PGPM 2021-2023

Make a Difference Project Proposal

Project Title:
Empowering Adivasis: The Wild Honey Way

Submitted by

PGPM Section B

Group No. 11

By

Deepakshi Singhal 2101079

Kriti Arora 2101092
Mohammed Sherif I 2101099
Mohit Verma 2101100
Saumyata Arora 2101112
Srishti Verma 2101122

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INTRODUCTION:
Nishita Vasanth and Priyashri Mani, two
young women who created the NGO Hoopoe
on a Hill, work with the Adivasis. In
addition to producing organic and
sustainable goods, it has been strengthening
indigenous groups who have been
marginalized. When Nishita and Priyashri
visited villages in the Palani Hills to learn
about the existence of the Adivasis, who live
in the forests and also look after them, they
had the inspiration to create the NGO. They had the chance to learn about the ancient and
insightful hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the Paliyan and other tribes' methods of gathering honey.
Nishita and Priyashri finally launched the organization that works with Adivasi communities in
Palani Hills as a result of their ideas being exchanged. To work with these communities, the two
founders relocated from Bengaluru to Kodaikanal. Additionally, they have constructed a low-
cost, long-lasting mud home from the ground up in Kodaikanal and are residing there. They
advocate for and practice sustainability. They purchase the wild honey that the Paliyan tribe
members sell to them.

The company "Hoopoe on a Hill" distributes organic honey, organic avocados, passion fruits,
beeswax, and organic beeswax wraps. They are also developing natural and organic beeswax
crayons. Local women have been engaged by the NGO, which is run entirely by women, and the
number is increasing every year.

According to the NGO, they have numerous success stories of tribal people making money as a
result of their efforts. When "Hoopoe on a Hill" officially started procuring honey from the
Paliyans in 2015, the group collaborated with two families in one community. Their bond with
the Adivasis has deepened over the past four years, now working with over 100 families across
12 villages.

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Nine kilometers from Kodaikanal town, where employment chances are few, is where "Hoopoe
on a Hill" presently does business. For the women who work with them, they offer a secure and
non-exploitative workplace.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

1. Accessibility - The business is based in a remote location due to which there is a limited
set of resources to tap. 
2. Expansion Opportunities - Due to the location and scale of the business, it isn’t fully able
to utilize the potential of the idea. The business can be expanded to other villages and
major cities.
3. Revenue Model - The business can renovate its business model so as to maximize the
returns through the process.
4. Marketing/Visibility - Better marketing can increase the visibility of the brand especially
now that the consumer market in neighboring upper tier cities has more awareness and
willingness to give back to the community. The product can be targeted to this segment
and can eventually help scale up the business

METHODOLOGY:

Primary survey, interviews, data collection, and validation will be the foundations of research
with substantial focus on secondary research as well.

The South Western Ghats rain forests in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, are
home to about 9,500 formerly nomadic Dravidian tribal people known as the Paliyan. They are
traditional nomadic foragers, hunters, and gatherers of honey. Most have now changed careers to
become beekeepers, food farmers, and traders of forest products. Some people perform sporadic
wage labor, primarily on plantations.

The findings of this study will be evaluated using qualitative information gathered from Paliyar
tribe members as well as non profits such as Hoopoe in the form of interviews and group

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discussions. The primary data collection will be done in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul district's
Kodaikanal block of the Palani Hills.

According to the 2001 census, Tamil Nadu has 6, 51,321 tribal populations, or 1.02 % of the
state's total population. In Tamil Nadu, there are 36 tribes and subtribes. The population's literacy
rate is 27.9%. The primary factor contributing to the socio-economic backwardness of the
Paliyar tribal women is thought to be their low literacy rate. To thoroughly understand this and
other factors responsible for the socio-economic backwardness of these tribal women, data will
be gathered using various secondary research methods.

The secondary research will be based on:

 Report on Best Lifestyle Practices Prevailing Among Paliyar Women Tribes Of

Kodaikanal, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu

 Report on Culture and lifestyle of Paliyan tribes at Palani hill, Dindigul district

 Research about Hoopoe on a Hill NGO

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS:

The scope of the project geographically is restricted to the Palani hills in the Western Ghats
region of the southern state of Tamil Nadu with a population of 9,500. Demographically, the
project primarily focuses on young Adivasi women from the indigenous Paliyan tribe. The
project is for a duration of 4 months from June to September, 2022.

The major limitations of the project are the mass exodus of Adivasis in search of better job
opportunities to nearby districts, personal interactions with community members is difficult due
to low literacy rates, data collection about the tribes in Palani hills is limited and for better
recommendations we would be requiring more than secondary research to provide actionable
outcomes.

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As we progress through the timeline of the project, we might face challenges and with the
current proposed plan in action, there might be slight variations in the methodology or expected
outcome of the project in an attempt to provide better results.

TIMELINE:

REFERENCES:

“Culture and lifestyle of Paliyan tribes at Palani hill, Dindigul district” by Mrs. K. Shenbaham

“Final Report Best life style practices” by Mother Teresa University

https://peacefulsocieties.uncg.edu/societies/paliyans/