Category Archives: Commentary

“There are many indices one can use to measure the shocking failures of education, even as it is conventionally understood, in India today. The stories of state-run schools that are in absolute shambles are legion, and have been documented by thousands of researchers, journalists, and social workers. More than seventy years after independence, the effective countrywide literacy rate is less than 50%; in some districts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, female literacy rates still hover at 10%. The best public universities have been gutted; all that is left is a shambolic display of awards of “excellence”, a word as shorn of content as any. In one instance the award has been to an institute of higher education that does not even exist. Yet all this is far from what Gandhi had in mind when he pondered over the ruins of education and I wonder how he would have struggled to even comprehend the “hardheartedness” of the educated in India today. Let there be no mistake: what really ails Indian education is the fact that at its center is the “undeveloped heart.” – Vinay Lal, Professor of History & Asian American Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
https://vinaylal.wordpress.com/2019/10/15/the-undeveloped-heart-gandhi-on-education/

Learn more about tribal communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Posted on 28/03/2020 by website administrator
Posted in Anthropology, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Commentary, Customs, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Endangered language, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature - fiction, Literature and bibliographies, Maps, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group, Tips, Tourism, Worship and rituals | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Learn more about tribal communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Tip | Book on the ancient religion of the Santals: Ancestral creation narratives – Assam, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura & Arunachal Pradesh

Posted on 17/03/2020 by website administrator

The religion of the Santals, which we see today, represents one of the most ancient religions.  […] The Santals are one of the largest homogenous indigenous peoples group in India, numbering more than six million scattered over in the states … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi, Anthropology, Childhood and children, Commentary, Cultural heritage, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, Eastern region, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Quotes, Resources, Seven Sister States, Storytelling, Tips, Tribal culture worldwide, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on Tip | Book on the ancient religion of the Santals: Ancestral creation narratives – Assam, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura & Arunachal Pradesh

Sacred groves foster a sense of togetherness and harmony: Protecting nature in and beyond India’s tribal communities – Kerala & Karnataka

Posted on 16/02/2020 by website administrator

CULTURAL TRADITIONS OF NATURE CONSERVATION IN INDIA by Dr S.M. Nair Living in harmony with Nature has been an integral part of Indian culture. This has been abundantly reflected in a variety of traditional practices, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore, arts … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Community facilities, Crafts and visual arts, Customs, Democracy, eBook download sites, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Ethnobotany, Gandhian social movement, Globalization, Government of India, History, Libraries, Literature and bibliographies, Misconceptions, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Quotes, Resources, Revival of traditions, Sacred grove, Tips, Trees, Tribal identity, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology, Women, Worship and rituals | Comments Off on Sacred groves foster a sense of togetherness and harmony: Protecting nature in and beyond India’s tribal communities – Kerala & Karnataka

Santali translations of Rabindranath Tagore’s “Vidyasagar-Charit” and “Raktakarabi” – Asiatic Socity & Sahitya Akademi

Posted on 04/02/2020 by website administrator

Release of Rabindranath Tagore’s Vidyasagar-Charit into Santali at the Kolkata Book Fair: 2nd February 2020 (Stall no. F-15) The Santali translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Raktakarabi by Dr. Boro Baski was published by the Sahitya Akademi (www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in) in 2016. Free copies … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Names and communities, Organizations, Resources, Storytelling, Tagore and rural culture | Tagged | Comments Off on Santali translations of Rabindranath Tagore’s “Vidyasagar-Charit” and “Raktakarabi” – Asiatic Socity & Sahitya Akademi

Globalisation in a historical perspective: “Histories of the Adivasis have largely been neglected”

Posted on 04/01/2020 by website administrator

Globalisation, Environmentally Non-sustainable Growth and the Plight of the Adivasis of India Historian Anjana Singh offers insights into Adivasi’s living conditions In this article the attempt will be made to analyse the long-term and current challenges of the adivasis. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Adverse inclusion, Anthropology, Colonial policies, Commentary, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Globalization, History, Organizations, Quotes, Resources, Rural poverty | Comments Off on Globalisation in a historical perspective: “Histories of the Adivasis have largely been neglected”