Elephants – a way of life for the Korubas of South India – Karnataka

ASHOKA, ELEPHANT BOY, Age 17Excerpts from Mother India’s Children by Edward Rice Sometimes India reminds me of the ocean. It looks like one great undifferentiated mass of people, like so many identical waves. To the tourists who jump from Calcutta to the Taj Mahal in Agra and then to Bombay, it is. All Indians look … Read more

Learn from “insiders” to fight misconceptions: Ideas and practices worth sharing

There’s much to learn from the positive contributions made by tribal communities on a daily basis. To start with, let’s learn from insiders and others who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that a precious heritage will continue to make a difference to people from all backgrounds – all over India and even beyond: “[I]t … Read more

Spreading benefits evenly across Rajasthan’s tribes: On differences within a state having an above-average tribal population – Rajasthan

Rights for forgotten tribes Predictably, public discourse on the Gujjar-state-Mina  (as the census spells them) standoff in Rajasthan has centred on two, or, at best, three issues […] It is easy to forget, in the midst of all this noise, that the Minas are not the only Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Rajasthan. But everyone, ranging from … Read more

eBook & eJournal | Reports and resources on human rights, rights of indigenous people & forest rights

India’s representative at the 2007 United Nations General Assembly affirmed his government’s commitment promotion and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights | Learn more >> India’s human rights commission has stepped in after the plight of a jailed 80-year-old poet who contracted Covid-19 in prison prompted outrage. […] The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) order, which follows outrage both at home … Read more

Tips | Biodiversity, ethnobotany, health and nutrition

Public health and food security depend on citizens’ willingness to “use and share resources in a sustainable and equitable manner”. The nation’s “primary conservers” – often tribal farmers – are now seen as guardians of biological diversity (Genome Saviour Award); and entitled to protection under the law known as Biodiversity Act. – M S Swaminathan, the scientist … Read more