Video | Giving a voice to Adivasi literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2016: Adivaani’s co-founder and publisher Ruby Hembrom – Rajasthan

“Silence is not my mother tongue”– Ruby Hembrom, executive director, Aadivani, during the concluding session dedicated to the issue of freedom of speech in India. (reported by Tehelka.com, January 28, 2016) “Equity and democracy run through the Festival’s veins, providing access for all to some of our greatest writers and thinkers along with a space to dare, dream and imagine; … Read more

eJournal | Finding common ground as identity is being “performed”: A festival positions the Tangsa community in the in the wider world around it – Assam and Arunachal Pradesh

From Ritual to Performance: The Transformation of a Tangsa Festival in Assam, North-east India Meenaxi Barkataki-Ruscheweyh, University of Göttingen Tangsa is an umbrella term for a collection of small ethnic groups (related to the Naga) who have migrated to India from Myanmar probably within the last couple of centuries and have settled in the north-east … Read more

Celebrating the unity in the diverse culture of India – Punjab & Odisha

Puri, May 25: The annual folk fair celebrating the tribal culture of the country and the rural heritage of different states has started off in Puri today. Members of different communities from all over India are taking part in it. […] During the five-day festival, which entered its 13th year, dance forms from various tribal … Read more

Depicting the shooting competition that concludes the Santals’ Sohrai or Harvest Festival celebrated in early January: 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

Remembering the “Honorary Santal named Rabindranath Tagore”: Writers and artists recall his courageous response in the face of injustice

Anjana Basu, Outlook (Opinion), 13 October 2015  […] The odd thing was that it all started in Santhal land where an honorary Santhal named Rabindranath Tagore threw  his knighthood in the face of the British Government — albeit politely — on the heels of a massacre. ‘Advasi’ from Shekhar’s point of view equals entertainer of some … Read more