“Seats of rural knowledge”: Training centres for tribal youth in crafts design, agriculture and plantations (Sampoorna Bamboo Kendra & Gram Gyanpeeth) – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh & Chhattisgarh

Twenty years back, in June 1995, newly-wedded couple Sunil and Nirupama Deshpande picked up a remote village, Lavada in Melghat region as their home. “We wanted to live in a place where people needed us,” says Nirupama, a former MHADA employee and MSW from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. The two wanted to work … Read more

Conserving the forests and protecting the livelihood of semi-nomadic tribal communities – West Bengal

NESPON – North Eastern Society for Preservation of Nature and Wildlife | Our Partners & Supporters >> Location: 200 forest villages including the 5 forest sub-divisions of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal. Project Holder: Mr. Soumitra Ghosh Objectives: # Community mobilized on child right issues in forests and such integrated with the larger movement … Read more

Quality education and health for children from marginalized families: Vidyodaya & Thulir – Tamil Nadu

Vidyodaya School, located near Gudalur in the Nilgiris, TN, teaches mostly tribal children. […] Vidyodaya is more than just a school. It is a major education programme to ensure that over 3500 tribal children in the Gudalur Block of the Nilgiris district of Tamilnadu can pursue their studies. These tribes are the only ones in … Read more

Computer-based Functional Literacy Programme – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal

Launched in February 2000 in the Beeramguda village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh, this ground-breaking project seeks to combat illiteracy with a new approach to learning, using multimedia and flashcards to fortify the learning experience. The lessons focus on reading, are tailored to fit different languages and even dialects, and are based on the … Read more

eBook | Adivasi languages – Ganesh Devy on changing languages and the question of legislation

Prof. Ganesh Devy in response to a listener’s question on the assumed benefits derived from legislation [India’s “scheduled languages”] Source: “A View of Higher Education in India” pp. 51-52 by Prof. Ganesh DevyChair, People’s Linguistic Survey of India, Bhasha Research and Publication Centre