Video | South Gujarat tribal music documentation by Bhasha – Gujarat

Watch two brief excerpts from the archive of Bhasha’s video documentation team This documentation was undertaken at the campus of the Adivasi Academy to document the cultural practices as well as to understand them. These are available with the Academy’ museum for interested visitors, researchers, students and practioners of music and community members. The documentation … Read more

eBook | The Dhodia community: Celebrating history and legends through songs and storytelling – Gujarat

Dhodia Adivasis are spread across Gujarat and Maharashtra. They have songs for all occasions: birth, death, marriage, harvest and festivals. Their main musical instrument is the Toor. They have a rich repertoire of stories of human, animals and birds, tales of wit and cleverness, historical stories, mythical and magical tales, stories of origin, legends and … Read more

eBook | The Tale of a Mouse (Chaudhari) – A story from Gujarat

Once there lived an old woman. One day the woman sat before the fire, preparing rotlas. A mouse passed by the hedge outside. As it rushed by, a thorn stuck in its legs. The mouse came slowly inside the house to the old woman and said, “Oh Grandmother, a thorn has stuck in my leg … Read more

School enrolment and literacy: State priorities towards education under colonial rule and since India’s independence – Gujarat, Jharkhand, Manipur, Rajasthan & West Bengal

Why does China soar where India continues to struggle? The most basic reason is state priorities towards education. As of 1947, the literacy rate in India was barely 11%. But the Chinese emulated Japan’s earlier policy choices (and were themselves soon copied by the south east Asian “tigers”) by investing very heavily in primary education. … Read more

Methods of education that create enthusiasm for learning and reduce the school dropout rate: A success story – West Bengal

Challenges The issues in tribal education are the conflict between the state’s policy of assimilating minorities into the mainstream culture and the tribal people’s reluctance to abandon and insistence on maintaining their identity. Rural tribal children face a severe dilemma when they are forced to reject their own culture and accept the schools’ middle-class values. … Read more