Karnataka's Hakki Pikki tribespeople have proved their mettle as traders

Unlettered and living in clusters often on the periphery of forests and cities, this is a tribe of globetrotting traders with an exceptional entrepreneurial spirit

The arrival of the odd visitor in a colony of 120 houses some 40 km from Bengaluru’s central business district has quickly attracted a small crowd. Two motorists riding into the area, called Hakki Pikki Colony, swiftly park their bikes and join the chorus of people asking what has brought us to their settlement. “Have you heard about our boys?” asks a woman. “They had gone to Mozambique and haven’t been able to come back.”

It’s difficult to make sense of things at first since everyone is speaking at the same time. By the time I understand that it’s been over