Customs

“We have a song for every situation. We feel money takes away from the enjoyment of life. But to earn a livelihood, people have to learn other languages.” – Santal teacher Pada Murmu interviewed by Nandini Nair (OPEN Magazine, 13 January 2017)
https://openthemagazine.com/features/dispatch/santali-talking-time/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=21581

The moral standard of state and society: T.G. Narayanan Memorial Lecture on Social Deprivation – Gujarat

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By Jan BremanEmeritus professor Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (University of Amsterdam) The moral standard of state and society can be deduced from the way people are treated who are not productive anymore and have no assets of their own. Missing the means for self-providence includes all those among the labouring poor who are … Read more

The Typecraft Initiative’s digital typeface based on Godna tattoos: Working with tribal women artists – Chhattisgarh

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Rites of Passage | Read the full article with illustrations here >> In general, women have a strong connection with the idea of a “vital cycle” not only as life givers, care-takers of children and the home; and their own monthly menstrual cycles. Some women, especially those from the tattoo community within the Gond tribe have a strong … Read more

Education, development, and reform to counter debt bondage: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights revisited

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A Report on Debt Bondage, Carpet-Making, and Child Slavery In Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy, Dr. Kevin Bales estimates that there are at least 27 million slaves in the world today – more than at any other time in human history. Slavery is on the rise around the world for the simple … Read more

“The world sells humans. What kind of world is this?” – Hindi Movie “Kamla” revisited

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“The world sells humans. What kind of world is this? Buying and selling is done every morning and evening. What kind of world is this?” – Hindi song lyrics in this movie (see below) “Kamla” (1984): Hindi movie (duration: 2h), written by Vijay Tendulkar and directed by Dr. Jagmohan Mundhra with English subtitles – to view the … Read more

The Adivasi way of life: Utopian or worth emulating by ‘mainstream’ society? – An ongoing debate

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Anyone who has had some meaningful interaction with India’s indigenous or adivasi people, cannot fail to be touched by the encounter. There is a directness in them, an absence of artifice or guile, an almost childlike innocence, born of simplicity combined with a lack of greed and avarice. The more interior and untouched a village, … Read more