Ganesh N. Devy – biographical notes

Ganesh N. Devy, formerly professor of English at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, and a renowned literary critic and activist, is founder and director of the Tribal Academy at Tejgadh, Gujarat, and director of the Sahitya Akademi’s Project on Literature in Tribal Languages and Oral Traditions. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award for … Read more

Malayalam poetry to hitherto unexpressed human conditions: “The city’s late discovery of the forest” – Kerala

S Joseph, who introduced Malayalam poetry to hitherto unexpressed human conditions (Meenkaran, Mesthri, Kotta, Identity Card, Chila Irunda Idangal, Aana, Maruku, Pengalude Bible) with very ordinary, pared down words, has wandered through life’s mean streets to reach where he is today. Indeed, he has come a long way as a man and a poet. His grubby backyard … Read more

Community development involving Bhil women: A synthesis of traditional small community cooperation with the systems of a democratic state – Madhya Pradesh

Adivasi Millennium The Dhas Gramin Vikas Kendra is engaged in mobilisation for rights and community development among the Bhil Adivasis or indigenous people since 1982 in Alirajpur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. […] All this has been achieved by adhering to the prevailing legal system and also by networking with other organisations to bring new … Read more

Alcohol and drug-awareness group, political leaders and women activists worried: Increased alcoholism in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

What’s the price of the ‘right’ to alcohol? By Mari Marcel Thekaekara, New Internationalist, March 8, 2013 While successive governments have patted themselves on their backs, each claiming credit for our galloping economy, India refuses to talk about the enormous social costs to our communities. Alcoholism and drug abuse are at their peak. In the past, many of … Read more

How India’s tribal communities meet modern challenges in areas such as health, education and economical development – Press roundup

Newborns in India have a lesser chance of survival than babies born in Afghanistan and Somalia, according to the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published in the medical journal The Lancet. In the GBD rankings for healthcare access and quality (HAQ), India has fallen 11 places, and now ranks 154 out of 195 … Read more