Tribal languages face extinction as “young people want to be part of the mainstream culture” – Uttarakhand

Excerpts from The Telegraph, Calcutta, Sunday , July 25 , 2010Death of a languageJad, a tribal language in Uttarakhand, is slowly going extinct. Hemchhaya Detravels to the tribe’s remote habitat and explains how many native languages around the world are dwindling under the onslaught of globalisationNarayan Singh Negi, leader of the Rong Ba tribe, in the … Read more

Andaman and Nicobar Islands – Britannica Online Encyclopedia

Andaman and Nicobar Islands (union territory, India), union territory, India, consisting of two groups of islands at the southeastern edge of the Bay of Bengal. […] Port Blair (on South Andaman Island) is the territorial capital. […] The Andamans comprise more than 300 islands. […] The Nicobars consist of 19 islands. […] The great majority of … Read more

Making rat catching an art form: the Irula and Korava – Tamil Nadu

JANAKI LENIN, The Hindu, December 14, 2012 […] The people who make rat catching an art form are the tribal people living in these parts, the Irula and Korava. Parrys’ is one of the busiest and most congested parts of Chennai city. At night, the Korava prowl through the empty alleys, watched suspiciously by packs of … Read more

Rural development scheme promises more freedom to “people at the ground level” to make changes

The Centre [Government of India] has decided to modify flagship rural development schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) to suit the needs of naxal-affected districts. While the schemes will be made more flexible, funds allocated to them will also increase. The decision was taken at a day-long consultation held by the … Read more

Adivasi (people) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia

Adivasi, ( Hindi: “Original Inhabitants”) official name (in India) Scheduled Tribes,  any of various ethnic groups considered to be the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent. The term is used primarily in India and Bangladesh. In the constitution of India, promulgated in 1950, most of these groups were listed—or scheduled—as targets for social and economic development. Since … Read more