“The adivasi has always been described as a figure of pity by mainstream writers. But there is a group of tribal writers, who, through their literature, are giving an answer to the questions raised on their identity.” – Jitendra Vasava, a lecturer at Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh (Indian Express, 28 February 2010)
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/symposium-held-on-gujarat-tribal-literature/585310
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=6304
The Last Heroes remembers the lesser-known fighters from India’s freedom struggle. The book tracks the role of ordinary, everyday people in achieving Independence. Farmers, labourers, homemakers, forest produce gatherers, artisans and others who stood up to the British. The Last Heroes tells their stories, giving them they recognition they truly deserve. […] By revealing the … Read more
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
“It is almost impossible to characterize all of India’s tribals in a single ethnographic or historic framework. […] After Independence, these communities were ‘denotified’ and placed quite randomly in the schedules of tribes, castes and other ‘backward communities’. Yet anyone with any experience of tribal culture will find these listings mind-boggingly oversimplified. The most useful … Read more
“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
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