Nature & wildlife

“We – forest-dependent communities, supported by others – declare: The natural forests are a nurturing mother to us. Our very identities, cultures and world-views are closely linked to the forests that provide our primary needs. […] Our cultures discourage greed, the root of scarcity, harm and sorrow.” – An appeal for a new consciousness of empathy and wise governance to protect our rich natural heritage, culture, and harmonious collective future by Kavitha (“Forest Foods & Ecology” Festival, December 12 to 14, 2014 at Sri Aurobindo Society, New Delhi)
www.kisanswaraj.in/2014/12/31/forest-foods-and-ecology/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=16371

Tip | Opportunities to appreciate India’s tribal cultural heritage from different angles: Visit one of India’s many museum collections

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Please note: India has far more museums and archives with “tribal collections” than can be shown here. Smaller collections are rarely advertised in tourist brochures or on the internet yet accessible by appointment (e.g. anthropology departments and research institutions). Collections and documentations of musical instruments are also found in the premises of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi), exhibitions at some of the Zonal Cultural Centres (Government of India), and in … Read more

Tip | Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI): Spreading the awareness and volunteer for various projects that aim at conservation

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EFI is now involved in the setting up of Biodiversity parks in schools where revival of life across the taxonomy is underway. From flora to fauna these parks will house rare herbs, insects, birds and reptiles living in harmony and be the best resource for learning and conservation at the school. If you are willing … Read more

“There are so many ‘theirs’ in the land of my birth who have nothing but the harsh landscape of surviving from day to day”: Mahasweta Devi’s inaugural speech at the Frankfurt Book Fair

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Mahasweta Devi had people in tears at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair [2006]. Delivered with passionate heart, her inaugural speech about our freedoms still on hold stirs a kind of moral transformation At 80-plus I move forward often stepping back into the shadows. Sometimes I am bold enough to step back into the sunlight. As a … Read more

Video | “Our values, farming, song and dances”: Tribal and indigenous peoples’ education must be rooted in the people’s own land, language and culture – Survival International

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Factory Schools: crimes against children from Survival International on Vimeo. Two million tribal and indigenous children are in Factory Schools today. Lives are destroyed and families are torn apart as the children are intentionally alienated from their community and stripped of their identity. – Campaign to put indigenous education under indigenous control >>

How to make a peaceful and decent future a little more probable?

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“If a man cannot enjoy the return of spring, why should he be happy in a labour-saving Utopia? … I think that by retaining one’s childhood love of such things as trees, fishes, butterflies and … toads, one makes a peaceful and decent future a little more probable, and that by preaching the doctrine that … Read more