Tribals’ excellent knowledge of the environment, closer to an ideal society – Odisha, Chhattisgarh & Jharkhand

He is British by birth, but prefers to call himself an Indian. Having lived in this country for three decades now, Felix Padel, the great great grandson of father of evolution Charles Darwin, has closely worked on Adivasis in eastern India. A freelance anthropologist trained at Oxford and Delhi University, Padel has also authored a … Read more

“Droupadi Murmu creates history, elected first tribal president of India” – Odisha

Droupadi Murmu creates history, elected first tribal president of India Presidential election 2022, Droupadi Murmu, Yashwant Sinha: President Ram Nath Kovind will finish his term July 24 Murmu, 64, won by an overwhelming margin against Sinha after receiving over 64 per cent valid votes in a day-long counting of ballots of MPs and MLAs, comprising … Read more

“We now had history on our side”: Poet Kamal Kumar Tanti on his search for identity – From Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to the tea gardens of Assam

The Assamese poet Kamal Kumar Tanti won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in the year 2012 for his book of poems, Marangburu Amar Pita. The phrase “Marangburu amarpita” can be roughly translated into English as “Marangburu, my father”. Marang Buru is the highest deity among some Adivasi communities of eastern and central India who follow … Read more

Jointly creating storybooks in familiar languages for first-generation learners: Suchana, Pratham Books and StoryWeaver – West Bengal

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

“His significant legacy lives on”: Remembering Birsa Munda, the charismatic tribal leader who shook the British Empire – Jharkhand

Now fondly known as Mr Jharkhand, Munda died at the age of 25 more than a century ago, but his significant legacy lives on. […] A century after his death, Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar on his birth anniversary on November 15, 2000, and he is today fondly referred to as “Mr Jharkhand.” […] … Read more