All the information including the collection of oral songs and a short vocabulary were collected in 1971 - 72. I continued my work among Kakmaras until 1995 to make a complete vocabulary which remains with me.
Kakmaras are a very well known nomadic Dravidian Tribe in Midnapore, specially in Contai and Tamluk subdivisions. They have their semi-permanent slums containing huts, but most of the time they remain vagrant as Kakamaras travel from villages to villages with their families. Generally they take shelter in the school buildings in the period of vacation, deserted huts in the market and sometimes in open fields under some bushy banyan trees. 
  The name 'Kakmara' has been given to them by the local people as there is a rumour that the men of this tribe kill even a crow and eat the flesh of it-the most forbidden bird to be killed for eating. Sri Kanai Das, a school  teacher and a Kakmara caste who had passed B.A. from a local college (Bajkul) told this present writer that " Kakmara, this very word, is to them insulting and used to make their society of very low status.  Now this name is forbidden and the government is trying to help them through various projects for the betterment of their social life. 
  The annals of the Kakmaras of the last fifty years are full of changes and the  profile of their journey from nomadic life to a settled household life has been visually experienced by the present writer. Even now when I come to my village home in  Nandigram I try to meet some of them and take information if any change has been in their society.
   I collected these Kakmara songs about 50 years ago in 1971- 72.  We do not find the songs any more among them to-day. The new generation of the Kakmaras are being educated, do not beg like before and today I do not find anyone knowing and singing such type of songs.  They have forgotten their fore-father's language, very akin to Telugu. They have started learning Bengali  as they are going to schools and colleges. Even Kakmara girls have passed B.A and I hear some of them in  Contai are working in the banks and other institutions. 
 They have a history behind their nomadic life. Long ago a part of Telangana faced a severe famine due to flood and cyclone and a good number of Telugu people came out to the street and started begging for food only. They crossed Orissa and entered Midnapore- the south-west district of Bengal. This history they have got from their ancestors.
  In this article I shall give a small vocabulary of the Kakmara language prepared in 1971- 72. Again I started collecting Kakmara words in 1990s. Vocabulary is very important.
  We see there are some Kakmara words which seem to be the root of some Sanskrit words. Not only this, common characters are found in Brahui, Kui, Nayekpodi  even in Gondi and Kurukh, the language of Oraons.  Kui language is surviving among the tribes living near Chilika Lake.
   According to to Rev. Winfield, Kui language is very important and it has link with Gond and Khond. Kakmara vocabulary is very important to find out the root of some Sanskrit words also.
 Very recently I found in my village, a group of Kakmaras had appeared after a long time. Many old villagers met them and took amulets of medicine of various diseases specially for the children. Kakmaras are known for both types of medicine, disease healing and witch-craft.
Sometimes the Kakmaras are very wanted in a village. If a child of a Hindu family always suffers from any incurable diseases, their parents make relationship with a Kakmara family making friendship between the children. It is called 'Jat dewa' (জাত দেওয়া). Recently a peculiar case took place. A caste-Hindu mother of a well-to-do family of the village Amdabad came to the Kakmaras with her one-year-son to make friendship with a Kakmara child. But the Kakmaras did not agree as the time was not suitable. They will come in the month of Magh (Jan-Feb)  and then it may be done. The traditional idea is that, this practice saves the child from death as he has friendship with a Kakmara-child who is strong enough.
     Their social life seems fragile. Generally they are divided in two surname-groups, Das and Singha. All of the Kakmaras whom I have met are of Das-group. They have been Vaishnava-like and observe rituals of the Vaishnavas. They buried the dead like the Vaishnavas and sacrifice food and clothings on the burial place. A red flag with a bamboo-stick is hung on the grave. Actually at present they are following the Hindu-Bengalees for their social life. The present writer met some educated Kakmaras and was informed of an intelligent Kakmara girl who was reading B.A. Some young Kakmaras have been posted in the police department and other government services. 
Apart from so many disadvantages, the nomadic Kakmara-life seems to be romantic. Their temporary residence under a tree or in a deserted house, their gorgeous dresses in the time of begging, their famous tail-less hounds guarding them always, their abstruse speech and habits make an interesting case study for us. We see them sleeping under a tree or on the bank of a little river by the paddy field outside the village in the moon-lit nights.  
Kakmaras are Hindu by caste, sometimes they claim to be purer than general Hindus. Their forefather came here from Rameswar Setubadh. They beg with the holy name of Ramchandra. But we neglet them for their dirty living which has been due to the nomadic attitude. Many Hindu Bangalees have been converted into Kakmara caste with a spontaneous urge. Digambar Maiti of Kalagachia fell in love of a beautiful Kakmara girl and he left his house to live a nomadic life. He was known as Digambar Kakmara. We had seen him in our childhood days speaking Kakmara language fluently in his royal Kakmara dress with an attractive figure. He disappeared about ten years back and cannot be seen any more. Sati Kakmarani was a beautiful woman and she became a concubine to a rich man.  
Their social life is very interesting. Their rituals, marriage and customs can be studied with some Dravidian groups and the Bengalees. 
 

Importance of the Kakmara Language ( Broken Telugu )

Kakmara language is very important for the study of the Bengali language and  culture. It is the only Dravidian speech, still influencing Bengali folk culture specially Jharkhandi dialect. No doubt, there are so many 'Madrasi' or Telugu-Tamil speaking man in Bengal with govt. and public business, but they cannot be included in our culture as they have no direct link. On the other hand, Kakmaras are living with the general folk and many of them have been assimilated with the Bengalees. In Midnapur area there are so many place-names reavealing a Dravidian meaning which, without doubt have come through unknown Dravidian people like Kakmaras, many years ago. The comparative study of the Kakmara language with other Dravidian ones will help us to know how much it is connected with them and how many years ago they came here. For the interested readers I give here a little vocabulary. 

English	Kakmara
Hill	Meailo
Water	Nilu
Wind	Gaali, Duaron
Tree	Setu
Paddy	Da : niu
Bhat (cooked rice)	Anna, Kudu
Dal	Pappo
Street	Da : ri
Fish	Chya-fya
Leaf	Ako, Setu-ako
Cloth	Bata
World	Deshu
Sun	Paddu
Moon	Endilu
Horse	Gar-ro, Kur-roi
Cow	Eddu, God-du
Son (Child)	Kordu, Pilloro
Daughter	Bid-da
Chewing betel	Tala Vag
nut	okka
brinjal	onkai
curry-stuffs	merkai
turmeric	pangsu
white (colour)	rellaga
black	nala
hand	se : i
English	Kakmara
foot	ka-lo
head	talgai
house	ilu
garden	bagna
flower	polon
village	uru
country	disun
milk	palu
coconut	kobburghai
husband	mogru
wife	pelnao
father	abba
mother	amma
son-in-law	aloru

 

 

Conclusion
Their language is purely oral.They have no scripts except Bengali. And as they are quite indifferent about their language, they have started forgetting many words; the vocabulary is getting smaller day by day, though one can enrich it with a Telugu dictionary. If we fail to  collect their literature and vocabulary it will be a big loss for our study of cultures. The young generation is keeping off the traditional ways of  Kakmara life and getting sophistcated more and more to be a pure Banglee.