Santal customs and the question of women’s rights vs. ‘punishment’: A commentary by Ruby Hembrom – West Bengal & Jharkhand

Ruby Hembrom, Times of India, 25 January 2014 | To read the full commentary and understand its context, click here >> KOLKATA: The news of the gang rape as a punishment in Birbhum district was the most horrific piece of news about atrocities of tribals against themselves. We’ve heard of inter-tribal conflicts but here was one … Read more

Traditional Millet Festival: Counteracting diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle diseases – Tamil Nadu

Due to the growing change in the diet of the village people to more “easy” foods like ration rice, vegetables grown with heavy chemical usage and inorganically grown fruits, the health of the people is deteriorating fast and many new diseases are evolving. The cases of diabetes, hypertension and other lifestyle diseases have dramatically increased, diseases … Read more

Tribes in Transition conference at Santiniketan (12-13 March, 2014) – West Bengal

TRIBES IN TRANSITION:CONFLICT OVER IDENTITY, RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT 12-13 March, 2014 at Visva-Bharati UniversitySantiniketan, West Bengal Organized by the Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi,In collaboration with the Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust, Santiniketan,&Funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi Concept note The State shall promote with special care the … Read more

Placing India’s tribal heritage in its historical and ecological perspective: Documentaries by filmmaker Sangita Datta – West Bengal & Sikkim

Brief excerpts from documentaries relating to tribal heritage – Showreel 2013 00:49 “The language of the Mundas“: CIIL’s series on Bhasha Mandakani: Bangala – Central Institute of Indian Languages (Govt. of India)03:14 “Righting the Historical Wrong“: A Film on The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers [Forest Rights Act 2006] – University of Manchester;04:49 “The Paharias: An Endangered Tribe” – … Read more

“Aboriginal people are the true Australians”: Documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist John Pilger – Australia

Watch the trailer for Emmy and Bafta winning film-maker and journalist John Pilger’s epic new documentary about Australia. Two years in the making, Utopia reveals a shocking national secret behind the postcard image of the “lucky country”. Utopia is released on 15 November in UK cinemas, and then will be broadcast on ITV in December … Read more