Press snippets

“Adivasi”, “Tribals” and “Denotified tribes”: Usage in legal and historical records, in textbooks, scholarly papers and the media –  Classifications in different states

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Government documents apply various labels besides “Scheduled Tribes” and “tribals”: Hill Tribes, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Forest Dwellers, Indigenous Communities, Aborigines, Backward Tribes, Backward Classes, Tribal Settlers, Original Settlers, Primitive Tribes, and Denotified Tribes. Many ‘Denotified Tribes’ continued to suffer displacement/dispossession/enslavement of Nomadic, Semi-Nomadic and Denotified Tribes after Independence. The exploitation and encroachment on tribal/forest … Read more

Toda cultural heritage and education: Nilgiri mountains – Tamil Nadu

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A visit to the Toda hamlet known as Taranadmund near Ooty makes it clear that for the Toda community, cultural heritage is part of everyday life and worship. The local economy continues to involve buffalo rearing. The breathtaking Nilgiris are home to a number of indigenous tribes, one of which is Toda. Unfortunately, the once … Read more

Chipko movement: “A people’s revolt against mindless deforestation” inspired by Gandhi – India’s 10 most powerful movements

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Saving the forests of Garhwal by sticking to trees. Fighting a big dam by living in submerged waters. These movements redefined the greening of India. STICKING TO A CAUSE Chipko Movement, 1973 “In the wake of reckless deforestation, a unique movement has bubbled,” observed India Today in March 1982. The 1980s saw the debate on … Read more

Tagore’s call to end the enslavement of India’s peasantry remains relevant today: Modern slavery is still very common – Global Slavery Index & UNICEF

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Tagore’s alienation and the zamindari system [Rabindranath Tagore] conspicuously distanced himself from the middle class, or the bhadralok, although they constituted the head and front of his audience as an author. Tagore’s alienation from such people can be contrasted with his perception that among the rural peasantry there was a “touch of humanity”. Undeniably, Tagore was … Read more

Santals and Santiniketan: Rabindranath’s concept of raising everyday life on to a higher level – West Bengal

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Source: Martin Kämpchen quoted by Prabir Chatterjee in “Santals and Santiniketan” (originally published by The Statesman)Address: https://www.mail-archive.com/jharkhand@yahoogroups.co.in/msg04356.htmlDate Visited: 23 June 2021 Tagore & the GeheebsThis book is a study of the Indo-German cultural exchange in the early 20th century that was initiated by three educators and their pedagogical vision… A review. | Read the full … Read more