Topics & issues
Constructive action is our only future – Prof. Ganesh Devy on the “adivasiness of the tribals” in Gujarat
WHEN Gujarat was burning between 27 February and 4 March [2002], the tribal belt on the eastern border of Gujarat was quiet. The only exception was the two districts of Panchmahals for which Godhra is the main town. Elsewhere in the tribal areas, tribals, Hindus and Muslims continued to coexist peacefully. The only disturbing sight … Read more
Getting information on forest land titles and compensation through the Right to Information Act – Maharashtra
In a major victory, tribal people in Maharashtra’s Thane district have managed to get information on forest land titles through the Right to Information Act. They were demanding this information for months, with over a thousand of them going on a “RTI Satyagraha” in April [2013]. Finally, the State’s Chief Information Commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad, has … Read more
eBook | “Indigenous cultures and knowledge systems at risk”: Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 – United Nations
Source: Lexicographer David Harrison interviewed by Srijana Mitra Das in “Indigenous languages have wisdom that can save us from climate crisis”, Times of India, 23 January 2021URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indigenous-languages-have-wisdom-that-can-save-us-from-climate-crisis/articleshow/80411082.cmsDate Visited: 26 July 2022 1. Language is one of the fundamental preconditions to human development, dialogue, reconciliation, tolerance, cultural and linguistic diversity, and the peaceful existence of … Read more
Early Buddhist Sanghas valued outlook of tribal society: Democratic functioning, gender equality and knowledge of medicinal plants
Adivasi traditions and practices pervade all aspects of Indian culture and civilization, yet this awareness is often lacking in popular consciousness, and the extent and import of Adivasi contributions to Indian philosophy, language and custom have often gone unrecognized, or been underrated by historians and social scientists. Although popular myths about Buddhism have obscured the … Read more