Category Archives: Poetry

“The mountain child—a fragment of the mountain—plays in the lap of the mountain / Toddling up the mountain / he plants his feet in the mountain soil / to rise like a mountain / in the land of mountains” – Excerpt from “Mountain Child”, a Santali poem by Nirmala Putul who questions ‘development’ and ‘progress’ in modern civilization
https://www.poetrytranslation.org/poems/18/Mountain_Child
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=11376

“My poetry is firmly rooted in Kerala. It talks about trees unique to our landscape, fish that can only be found in our ponds, and tribes that carry ancient memories of Malayalam. There are many amidst us who are despised, humiliated and oppressed by human conditions such as caste, colour and gender. They shouldn’t be apologetic but assert themselves. My poems celebrate the beauty of blackness and ugliness. Such poetry cannot be performed, or composed. It lacks music, it has to be read.” – S. Joseph, who introduced Malayalam poetry to hitherto unexpressed human conditions in “Joseph and his brothers” (blog by John Cheeran, Times of India, 23 January 2016)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/Arrackistan/joseph-and-his-brothers
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=4413

“You tell me, screaming / That this nurtured plot of land / this pond, this farmhouse / you tell me, these are not mine? […] The land of thick jungles / a desolate land of trees and vines / We worked hard to clean it up / to make it liveable / and lived happily / I must reach for my bow and arrow.” – Excerpt from a Santali poem by Parimal Hembram who recites poems in both Bengali and Santali (The Little Magazine, Vol. VII, Issue 3 & 4., Translation into English by Antara Dev Sen)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23529

“My voice is for freedom, for people, against injustice, against colonialism and neo-colonialism. […] I disagree with the naming of our community as “Tea-tribe”. Is there any community in this world named after a commodity?” – Kamal Kumar Tanti in (Ashley Tellis, The Hindu, 31 July 2010)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=4667

Adivasis’ world view: A truly sustainable lifestyle – Comment

Posted on 02/07/2020 by website administrator

Adivasi people: proud not primitive | Read the full article >> […] Defining what’s special about India’s adivasi or indigenous people is complicated. People, mostly anthropologists and human rights defenders, who know adivasis and have worked closely with them, also tend … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi / Adibasi, Anthropology, Assimilation, Commentary, Community facilities, Customs, Ecology and environment, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, History, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Nilgiri, Organizations, Poetry, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Topics and issues, Tourism, Women | Tagged | Comments Off on Adivasis’ world view: A truly sustainable lifestyle – Comment

Adivasi poetry that “expresses unwillingness and disagreement”: Probing into the culture of the ex-tea garden labourers – Assam

Posted on 20/03/2020 by website administrator

On second day of TLF, session on “Young Tribal Writers; Their Themes, Issues and Challenges was organized.” The session was chaired by Prof. Sivashish Biswas, Assam University, Assam. During the session, five speakers talked about the emerging young writers from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Adverse inclusion, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Community facilities, De- and re-tribalisation, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Government of India, History, Literature - fiction, Literature and bibliographies, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Names and communities, Photos and slideshows, Poetry, Press snippets, Revival of traditions, Rural poverty, Seven Sister States & Sikkim – North Eastern Council | Tagged | Comments Off on Adivasi poetry that “expresses unwillingness and disagreement”: Probing into the culture of the ex-tea garden labourers – Assam

Poetry on the beauty of nature and its close association with mankind: “Tribal literature is as rich as any other literature in the world”

Posted on 20/01/2020 by website administrator

Treasure trove of golden words- three-day conference comes to an endOUR CORRESPONDENTRanchi, April 28: Mizo writer Darchhawna, who was awarded the Padmashree recently, praised tribal literature at a conference here today. He spoke on the concluding day of the Tribal … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, Customs, Education and literacy, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature - fiction, Misconceptions, Music and dance, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Poetry, Social conventions, Storytelling, Women | Comments Off on Poetry on the beauty of nature and its close association with mankind: “Tribal literature is as rich as any other literature in the world”

Rabindranath Tagore – pioneer in rural education

Posted on 05/12/2019 by website administrator

A most important truth, which we are apt to forget, is that a teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame. – Rabindranath … Continue reading →

Posted in Eastern region – Eastern Zonal Council, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Government of India, Health and nutrition, Modernity, Networking, Organizations, Poetry, Quotes, Rural poverty, Seasons and festivals, Tagore and rural culture, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on Rabindranath Tagore – pioneer in rural education

Poet Kamal Kumar Tanti on his search for identity: “Is there any community in this world named after a commodity?” – Assam

Posted on 08/11/2017 by website administrator

In sync with subaltern traditions | Read the full report in The Hindu here >> Kamal Kumar Tanti is a promising young voice in contemporary Assamese poetry. He belongs to the Adivasi Tea-Garden Labourer community in Assam. His first collection Marangburu Amar … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Adverse inclusion, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Economy and development, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Misconceptions, Names and communities, Poetry, Press snippets, Revival of traditions, Rural poverty, Seven Sister States & Sikkim – North Eastern Council, Storytelling, Success story | Comments Off on Poet Kamal Kumar Tanti on his search for identity: “Is there any community in this world named after a commodity?” – Assam