“Indigenous people are at the forefront of the struggle to save the planet”: Defending the guardians of nature

On a very small scale compared to the widely promoted homogenising mega-schools, [alternative schools] respect diversity and are sensitive to the socio-cultural and political context of the children. […] The National Education Policy of 2020 is silent on the crucial question of integrating Adivasi knowledge. It appears to encourage multilingual education but calls for ‘philanthropic’ … Read more

A constitution which guarantees: “The State shall not discriminate against any citizen” – The Sovereign Republic of India

Did the Constitution of India borrow ideas and many of its stand out features from the constitutions of other countries? Yes, after intense scrutiny, it turns out that our founding fathers liberally chose what features to embed into our Constitution and in many cases remoulded them to suit diverse local realities. “There is nothing to … Read more

How to fight malnutrition and increase diversity of choice for lower-income households? Improve traditional supply chains! – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Addressing malnutrition requires a multisectoral approach that includes complementary interventions in food systems, public health and education. This approach also facilitates the pursuit of multiple objectives, including better nutrition, gender equality and environmental sustainability. […] Both traditional and modern supply chains offer risks and opportunities for achieving better nutrition and more sustainable food systems. Improvements … Read more

Video | The Expendable People: Adivasis

The film focuses on a moment of hope, the government bringing in the Forest Rights Act (2006) to right ‘historic wrongs’ only to betray that promise, so as to protect predatory developers against these expendable peoples.

Elwin’s ‘tribal’ world – 28 poems in English inspired by tribal India

Verrier Elwin, the anthropologist and Indologist who lived in Shillong, wrote a collection of 28 poems which was recently unearthed, and published by North East Zonal Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Government of India. The anthropologist, who was not trained, was also an innate poet. Having majored in English literature, Elwin perhaps rediscovered poetry in the hills … Read more