“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 Santals, a proto-Austroloid racial group, are the largest tribe in West Bengal accounting for more than 50% of the state`s tribal population. Other than West Bengal, their major concentration is in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura. In Assam, they are not classified separately as a tribe and their lot is clubbed … Read more
Sohrai – The First Day The most important festival of the Santals is called Sohrai. It is the Harvest Festival celebrated after the rice harvest in early January. The celebrations stretch over several days. The first day is Um hiloah. Every family contributes half a kilo of rice, a young chicken, salt, turmeric powder, potatoes, … Read more
Learning in Ladakh from K K on Vimeo. Ladakh is ‘little Tibet’ culturally speaking and geographically it provides a habitat for the shy and reclusive Snow Leopard which is on the verge of extinction and which is why the Snow Leopard Conservancy exists, to stem their demise. Headed ably by Rinchen Wangchuk in India. SLC, … Read more
Santals are the largest homogeneous tribal community in Eastern India. In the 1991 census, more than 5.2 million Santals were counted [5.8 million in the 2001 census]. People of this ethnic group are also found in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Santals have an oral tradition; songs and rituals play an important role … Read more
Elephant conservation: Can elephants and humans live together? Berserk beasts, trashed crops, vengeful villagers: tales of ‘conflict’ come thick and fast as humans and elephants are forced into closer contact. But does it have to be war? Across Asia and Africa, there are hints of how we might live in peace | To view more photos … Read more