“Rethinking tribals”: Articles on Adivasi culture in Folio Special issue

Ever since the Portuguese travel writers and missionaries decided to describe the vast variety of ethnic and occupational groups and sects of the Indian subcontinent in terms of “caste” and “tribe”, the terms have stuck to society as long-worn masks that start becoming one’s real personality. The result is that today no Indian describes society … Read more

Training Kota, Irula, Toda and Kurumba women of the Nilgiris: Earth Trust preserves ancestral knowledge for health care, education and income generation – Tamil Nadu

Esther Elias, The Hindu, Sunday Magazine, October 20, 2012Read the full article and view more photos here >>  Vanya Orr walks the villages and forests of the Nilgiris to create self-sufficient communities, says Esther Elias. Shola forests arch over a road winding up the Nilgiris to Kollimalai village, 10 km from Udhagamandalam. In a terraced … Read more

Survey of the living languages of India in present time (PLSI) – carried out by persons who belong to the respective speech communities or have worked closely with them

The People’s Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI) is a comprehensive survey of the living languages of India in present time. The first such survey since George Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India carried out between 1894 and 1928, the PLSI is being carried out by persons who belong to the respective speech communities or have worked closely with them.peopleslinguisticsurvey.org Prof. Ganesh … Read more

Theatre as union of tribal and non-tribal culture – Chhattisgarh

Theatre personalities of Chhattisgarh reached a well-recognised status, owing to their contribution in the theatre of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh is one of the eminent rural states of India and its theatre art is purely the union of tribal and non-tribal culture. The harmonisation of eastern and western art as a result of the British imperialism has … Read more

Santal community-based organisations – West Bengal

Our fate in our hands India’s indigenous Adivasi tribes are among the most disadvantaged people south of the Himalayan mountains. To improve their lot, some have begun to set up community-based organisations. […] We have experienced that the shift from tradition to modernity is loaded with difficulties. It can easily take several generations. We do … Read more