Nishadaparvam won the Kunkumam Judges' Jury Award in 1982. The relevance of this work has only increased today. The greed of those who usurp the fruits of the soil and the sweat of the tribal people, who are the sons of the soil, has only increased. While India has progressed substantially, we still have a long way to go. This story is set broadly against the backdrop of the tribal life of Santhals, with several changes made for dramatic effect needed in fiction. I am delighted to publish the third edition of this book at a time when Smt. Draupadi Murmu, who belongs to the Santhali tribe, is the President of India. It was impossible to even think of such a possibility when this book was written.