Stuartpuram is a town in Andhra Pradesh, India which is famous or rather infamous for one particular export. Much like with the IT prowess of India exported to the rest of the world, this Stuartpuram export too is a skill. People in the know can disregard this drum roll, but for the rest - the talent is crime. There is a proud tradition of burglary, extortion and other forms of foul play at Stuartpuram. Yet this identity is not geographical but a communal identity of a tribe.
Theft and deception is said to be this community's occupation. In fact this tribe was covered in the draconian sounding "Criminal Tribes Act of 1871" framed by the British which basically supposed that there is a gene for criminal behavior. They were convinced of the "Born Criminal" doctrine and that Nature ultimately holds sway over Nurture. For good measure there is even a telugu movie by the name "Stuartpuram Police Station" starring the reigning star of the times in '91 - Chiranjeevi to further the legend.
Movie Poster : Stuartpuram Police Station
From accounts, Stuartpuram was a town that was used by the British to resettle the "Criminal Tribe" since the tribe was itself nomadic as it had to be when the stated occupation is such. To be fair though, the tribe's traditional vocation is said to be hunting for game, but they had to adapt once they were ejected from their forest habitats. The Act itself was repelled at the time of Independence but the stigma must surely remain. The town is still considered as the heart and brains of crimes both petty and extraordinary in the state. And so for all purposes this town is at the top of law enforcement's list whenever there is heist of note.
It is hard to escape one's extraction but easier to embrace cliches. Yet there have been reformers trying their hand at "rehabilitating" the citizens of the town. But the "Kula-Vruthi"- a word that means profession but in an almost karmatic manner, of these people is unfortunately not just reaffirmed by the larger society but also by the community itself on many occasion. People come from everywhere to Stuartpuram when the service of larceny is required. For the police the town is a one-stop shop for concluding their theft cases.
The irony here is that although there is scant respect for the law among the deviant elements of Stuartpuram yet these are the very people who best understand the law for what it is and its limitations in life. While rest of India lives a self contained existence which dare not test the boundaries of the norm, here are a bunch of intrepid citizens who see the country now as the British once saw it - Jungle Raj.
Interesting Readings:
Theft and deception is said to be this community's occupation. In fact this tribe was covered in the draconian sounding "Criminal Tribes Act of 1871" framed by the British which basically supposed that there is a gene for criminal behavior. They were convinced of the "Born Criminal" doctrine and that Nature ultimately holds sway over Nurture. For good measure there is even a telugu movie by the name "Stuartpuram Police Station" starring the reigning star of the times in '91 - Chiranjeevi to further the legend.
Movie Poster : Stuartpuram Police Station
From accounts, Stuartpuram was a town that was used by the British to resettle the "Criminal Tribe" since the tribe was itself nomadic as it had to be when the stated occupation is such. To be fair though, the tribe's traditional vocation is said to be hunting for game, but they had to adapt once they were ejected from their forest habitats. The Act itself was repelled at the time of Independence but the stigma must surely remain. The town is still considered as the heart and brains of crimes both petty and extraordinary in the state. And so for all purposes this town is at the top of law enforcement's list whenever there is heist of note.
It is hard to escape one's extraction but easier to embrace cliches. Yet there have been reformers trying their hand at "rehabilitating" the citizens of the town. But the "Kula-Vruthi"- a word that means profession but in an almost karmatic manner, of these people is unfortunately not just reaffirmed by the larger society but also by the community itself on many occasion. People come from everywhere to Stuartpuram when the service of larceny is required. For the police the town is a one-stop shop for concluding their theft cases.
The irony here is that although there is scant respect for the law among the deviant elements of Stuartpuram yet these are the very people who best understand the law for what it is and its limitations in life. While rest of India lives a self contained existence which dare not test the boundaries of the norm, here are a bunch of intrepid citizens who see the country now as the British once saw it - Jungle Raj.
Interesting Readings:
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