Academy of Tribal Learning: Ramachandra Guha on its inauguration by writer-activist Mahasweta Devi – Gujarat

In the first week of February 2002, I got a call from the writer Mahasweta Devi. I had met Mahasweta only once—in a boarding house in Delhi where we both happened to be staying—but knew, of course, a great deal about her. I had not read her novels—I don’t read much fiction—but had been profoundly moved … Read more

India’s tribal cultural heritage – Karnataka

Telling the story of the Sabars: Mahasweta Devi’s historical novel “The Book of the Hunter” set in 6th-century Bengal

MAHASWETA DEVI’S novel The Book of the Hunter (first published in Bengali as Byadhkhanda in 1994), is the latest in Seagull’s excellent ongoing enterprise to bring the powerful oeuvre of the literary activist to a readership well beyond Bengal. One of Devi’s foremost passions has been to document the oral histories of the tribal communities … Read more

Kanavu alternative school and commune in Wayanad – Kerala

Wayanad song © Kanavu music group founded by K.J. BabyTravel photographs of Wayanad region and Kanavu centre © Ludwig Pesch Kanavu is an alternative school/commune in Cheengode in Nadavayal village, Wayanad district, Kerala, India, set up by writer, activist and film director K. J. Baby. The school’s activities include performances of traditional plays and music, … Read more