Literature – fiction

“While the danger of extinction looms large over some languages, many other languages have been thriving. For example, Gondi (spoken in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra), Bhili (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat), Mizo (Mizoram), Garo and Khasi (Meghalaya) and Kokborok (Tripura) are showing an upward trend because educated people in these communities have started using these languages for writing. They publish poems, write plays and perform them. In some of the languages, even films are being made.” – Abhijit Mohanty in “Seven decades after independence, many tribal languages in India face extinction threat” (Down to Earth, 26 August 2020)
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/seven-decades-after-independence-many-tribal-languages-in-india-face-extinction-threat-73071
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=6879

Audio, eBook & Video | “A good storyteller brings hope, hilarity, comfort, inspiration and peace”: Indigenous ways of connecting through books, digital communities and games – Canada, Australia & New Zealand

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“We faced pandemics before. […] A good storyteller brings hope, hilarity, comfort, inspiration and peace.” – Dene writer, Richard Van Camp on the Joy of Storytellin , CBC Radio Unreserved,  26 February 2021 It has been almost one year since the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic. Its effects are still being determined, but one thing … Read more

Gond artists help readers to “ask, reflect and engage in what is independent India’s worst affliction” – Critical acclaim for Bhimayana: A graphic novel on Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

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Learn more about the Gond community >> Source: “Evocative masterpiece” by Sowmya Sivakumar in The Hindu (Literary Review), 1 May 2011Address : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-literaryreview/evocative-masterpiece/article1982381.eceDate Visited: 29 July 2022 When the Vyams leafed through the likes of Art Spiegelman, Joe Sacco and Marjane Satrapi, they were astonished that the characters were trapped within boxes. “In the beginning … Read more

Elwin’s ‘tribal’ world – 28 poems in English inspired by tribal India

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Verrier Elwin, the anthropologist and Indologist who lived in Shillong, wrote a collection of 28 poems which was recently unearthed, and published by North East Zonal Cultural Centre (NEZCC), Government of India. The anthropologist, who was not trained, was also an innate poet. Having majored in English literature, Elwin perhaps rediscovered poetry in the hills … Read more

Recovering tribal culture from the misrepresentation of mainstream media: Papers presented for “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference)

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Parallel session 1: Tribal Identity and Resistance Narratives (28th February 2017)Chaired by: Prof. Shreya Bhattacharji, CUJ, RanchiPaper Presenters: Violina Borah (JNU, New Delhi), Moumita Roy (Delhi University, New Delhi), Juhi R.V. Minz (JNU, New Delhi), Shabeena Kuttay (Govt. Degree College, Bemina-Srinagar).Violina Borah presented a paper titled “R/establishing Identity: Reading Violence through Mahasweta Devi’s The Hunt.” The paper explored … Read more

“Democracy and caste system can’t go hand in hand”: Paying attention to the enforcement of India’s 1989 act to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against members of SCs and STs (Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes)

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Hardly anyone seems to have paid attention to India’s dismal showing at the UN Human Rights Council’s universal periodical review when the latter alleged that India is “all words, no action” on working against caste and related discrimination. The allegations are built around, among other things, data from the National Crime Records Bureau, which says, “Atrocities … Read more