Bengali literature celebrated the natural, healthy Santal way of living, the black lissome Santal women providing a counterpoint to the pale cloistered ladies of urban Calcutta. Source: Partha Mitter. The Triumph of Modernism: India’s Artists and the Avant-garde, 1922–1947, p. 29
Books take tribal kids back to school Calcutta: Churki Hansda remembers standing on the road instead of going to school on most days of the week because she was too scared. “I wouldn’t understand anything. The lessons were all in Bengali and I knew only Santhali,” she said. Now 28, Churki translates stories from Bengali … Read more
To enlarge, view other paintings and read the full article, click here >> My image shows the museum as a tree. It’s a strange tree. Things are a bit upside down and it’s a little frightening. Right on top, I’ve given it the shape of a drum that can be played. The branches are like paths leading to different … Read more
For additional information and success stories, please click here >> When It Comes to Dalit and Tribal Rights, the Judiciary in India Just Does Not Get It Instead of questioning why the abolition of untouchability has failed in India, the apex court has upheld and reiterated false stereotypes against Dalits and Adivasis. Though the Indian … Read more
There is a need to reclaim descriptions of the tribes; the onus must reside with the tribes themselves, since they have endured these portrayals for far too long. Richard Kamei in “Uncivilising the Mind: How anthropology shaped the discourse on tribes in India” (Caravan Magazine, 1 March 2021) The Great Story-Wall is a 100 metre … Read more