 Population explosion and the shortage of food during the post-war period (1945-1960) induced them to migrate to the uninhabited fertile lands of northern Kerala and to some isolated pockets of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka States.These places were filled with thick forests and under the threat of malaria and other diseases.The migrated people, being agrarian, risking their own life cleared the forests and settled themselves cultivating paddy, rubber, coconut, coffee, cashew, pepper etc...