Democracy

“He who does not lead his life under the direction of others, who sets his own goal of life according to his own reasoning and decides for himself as to how and in what way life should be lead, is a free man.” – Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (who was more than the “drafter of the Constitution”), quoted in “Contested Freedom” (Journal of People’s Studies Volume 1, Issue 4 June 2016, Page iii)
https://www.academia.edu/28587897
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=20996

“Who is Indian, and what makes a person an Indian?”: Questions debated among members of 565 recognized American Indian tribes

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My answer? There are many definitions of who is an Indian. As a starting point, “Indian” is a misguided label that spread through Europe after 1492. Native people have always associated themselves with their tribe(s) and referenced their tribal names in their tribal languages. Explorers and colonists from Spain, France, England, the Netherlands, and Russia, … Read more

An indigenous film industry for large indigenous populations: ‘Jhollywood’ tells the stories of modern Adivasis – Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam & Manipur

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Jhollywood is calling Forget the faux tribals grunting in Raavan. Jharkhand has its own film industry, made by Adivasi filmmakers for Adivasi viewers, says G VISHNUIS BEERA Formula for a Jhollywood film: five songs, three fights, three romance scenes. Plus Adivasi angst and humour Munda — Mani Ratnam’s pastiche Adivasi in Raavan played by Abhishek … Read more

International framework through ILO and U.N. Conventions recognises rights of indigenous and tribal communities to ownership, control and management of land and resources

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Tribal and indigenous communities across the world have been asserting their rights to the mineral wealth often found under the land they own or possess or have traditional rights to. They have been historically denied even a share of that huge wealth, leave alone legal rights of ownership. Under the contemporary deregulated neo-liberal policy framework, … Read more

eJournal | “Environmental groups and movements have been at the forefront of efforts to democratize state institutions”

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[…] In India, as elsewhere, colonialism is “first, foremost and always” about land. As in North America and Africa, the policing of reserve forests has often resulted in what amounts to ethnic cleansing, with Indigenous peoples being evicted from their homelands for the benefit of the tourism industry and its urban, middle-class clients. Displaced Adivasis … Read more

Schooling vs child labour – an unfinished agenda by Harsh Mander

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Millions of our children still labour today, in factories, farms, kilns, mines, homes and city waste dumps, when they should be in school or in a playground. We profoundly fail these children, collectively depriving them of education, play, rest, healthy growth and childhood. Despite democracy and glittering economic growth, it is unconscionable that we continue … Read more