“Our hunting, our economy and even our festivities were interlinked to iron smelting”: The Asur community’s last custodians of a traditional technique – Jharkhand

Laldeo Asur passes his days basking in the mellow winter sun, his 70-year-old body now too frail for the rigours of village life. But it is not his advancing age he is too concerned about but the advance of modernity on his tribe, the Asurs. Laldeo knows that after him there will be none to … Read more

Tip | Santal history and customs explained by the Daricha Foundation – West Bengal and Jharkhand

The Santals, a proto-Austroloid racial group,  are the largest tribe in West Bengal accounting  for more than 50% of the state`s tribal population. Other than West Bengal, their major concentration is in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura.  In Assam, they are not classified separately as a tribe and their lot is clubbed … Read more

The “Sohrai” harvest festival of the Santals: A large mural created by village artists to express their cultural identity – West Bengal

Sohrai – The First Day The most important festival of the Santals is called Sohrai. It is the Harvest Festival celebrated after the rice harvest in early January. The celebrations stretch over several days. The first day is Um hiloah. Every family contributes half a kilo of rice, a young chicken, salt, turmeric powder, potatoes, … Read more

Video | “Reviving the Huka Banam”: A Workshop in support of Santal instrumental music (Daricha Foundation) – West Bengal

The Huka Banam has been a Santal tradition, particularly in Purulia and Bankura. However, this ancient instrument is gradually becoming extinct and there are just a handful of practitioners left today. This workshop was organized as an initial step towards stemming the decline. © 2016 Daricha Foundation. Workshop, Purulia Source: :: Reviving the Huka BanamAddress: https://www.daricha.org/videoplay.aspx?ID=119Date … Read more

Video | Kalamandir (Jamshedpur) founded in 1997: Preservation, conservation and dissemination of art and cultural heritage – Jharkhand

Published on Aug 8, 2015 The initial videos of Kalamandir, describing its objectives, main and interest in preservation, conservation and dissemination of art and cultural heritage. Kalamandir has traveled a long way since 1997. This is just to remember all our old acquaintance and friends and our team efforts. Source: Kalamandir – The Celluloid Chapter … Read more