Press snippets

Adivasi rice beer – ceremonial drinking vs bondage caused by strong liquor

by

Adivasis and alcohol Historically, ‘pioneers’ of ‘civilized’ dominant (‘mainstream’ is politically incorrect) society have used alcohol to enslave and destroy the indigenous communities they invaded. Like exploitative marauders, they credited themselves with finding ‘new’ lands, sweepingly declaring them Terra Nullis (occasionally even classifying indigenous people as ‘fauna’, making it legal to hunt them). I recently read … Read more

Tip | Indigenous innovations, how to help tribal kids reach school on time, creating awareness of women’s health and other success stories – The Better India

by

Our community health workers and village co-ordinators have been leading from the front in responding to the needs of all the tribals across 320 hamlets, putting their lives at-risk while ensuring the safety of others. […] And to engage children during the lockdown, we at the Vidyodaya Maths and Science Resource Centre have created a … Read more

Joint efforts, not denials, make India a safer place for girls and women – West Bengal & Madhya Pradesh

by

Why am I returning repeatedly to the theme of rape, I puzzled, as I began this blog post. Because, I realized, the problem’s become worse, not better. Rape stories are headlined practically every day. This morning, I read that a 14-year-old girl was gang-raped in my home state of West Bengal. […] Even worse, the Chief … Read more

The Asurs’ remembrance of their ancestors: A ‘particularly vulnerable’ tribal group – Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh & West Bengal

by

Chamru is an Asur, a ‘particularly vulnerable tribal group’ that dominates Sakhuapani’s population of about 2,000 and lives in villages spread over a radius of 10 to 20 km. Besides Jharkhand, members of the tribe live in pockets of Bihar, West Bengal and a few other states. The 2011 Census put the number of Asurs at … Read more

Old seed festival “a wonderful example of community and NGOs participation” – Andhra Pradesh

by

Old seed festival, being organised by Sajeevani in association with Samata and CRYNET, is a wonderful example of community and NGOs participation which ensures that farmers get quality seed, said Principal Scientist of National Bureau of Plant Gentic Resource’s Regional Centre at Hyderabad B. Sarath Babu about the programme held at Panasavalasa, 25 km from … Read more