Early Buddhist Sanghas valued outlook of tribal society: Democratic functioning, gender equality and knowledge of medicinal plants

Adivasi traditions and practices pervade all aspects of Indian culture and civilization, yet this awareness is often lacking in popular consciousness, and the extent and import of Adivasi contributions to Indian philosophy, language and custom have often gone unrecognized, or been underrated by historians and social scientists. Although popular myths about Buddhism have obscured the … Read more

Kaattumaina 1963 ‘jungle movie’ on tribal theme – Kerala & Tamil Nadu

Indian films with the jungle as backdrop were inspired by Hollywood. Films like the adventures of Tarzan, a character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, were very popular. ‘Jungle movies’ in India started with the silent movie ‘ King of Forest’ (1926), produced by Royal Arts, with Jilloobai and Udwadia in lead roles. The Tamil film … Read more

Slideshow | The Food Book of four communities in the Nilgiri mountains: Gudalur Valley: Here we “realise how sensitive tribals are towards environment and nature” – Tamil Nadu

Source: Research team (Sayantani Satpathi, Shambhavi Singh & Subhodeep Basu) in “Revisiting the Forest Rights Act: Status of Implementation with respect to Land Tenures and Collection of Minor Forest Produce), Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (New Delhi, 12 July 2019), p. 4URL: https://www.academia.edu/41756309Date visited: 5 October 2o2o The recent trend is to use exotic species for … Read more

Slideshow | Ancient rock art and modern graffiti: Continuity of tribal tradition since 1500 B.C. – Tamil Nadu

India has about 5,000 rock art sites, next only to Australia and South Africa, where prehistoric people have recorded life as they saw it, in paintings, engravings and carvings. Finding and decoding this artistic “perception of reality” is a challenge for rock art hunters. | To view the slideshow and read the full article, click here >> Rock art can … Read more