Video | Khasi music – the resilience of a tradition in an age of globalization – Meghalaya

The Jeebon Roy Memorial Creative Arts Akademi has its origins in the Seng Khasi movement which began as a challenge to British domination and now counters the growing influence of western popular music by promoting the region’s cultural heritage. The universal rules of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ writing are turning out to be colonial relics. […] Having … Read more

Bhagoriya Dance: Bhil celebrations that link prospective brides with bridegrooms – Madhya Pradesh

Bhagoriya is a well known dance of the Bhils, a large tribe of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh. The dance is associated with a festival known as `bhagoria’ and a fair called bhagoriya haat. The tribal unwed boys and girls prepare for this fest that serves the purpose of marriage bureaux by establishing link between … Read more

Appropriate education for Adivasi children: The Vidyodaya School model at Gudalur – Tamil Nadu

The Viswa Bharati Vidyodaya Trust (VBVT) is a community-based organisation working with the Bettakurumba, Kattunayakan, Mullakurumba, and Paniya Adivasi communities of the Gudalur valley in Tamil Nadu. All four communities are recognised by the Government of India as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), reflecting both the depth of their Indigenous heritage and the systemic disadvantages … Read more

Learn more about tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh

When it comes to protein and calorie counts, milk and bananas do not match up to eggs, particularly for [Madhya Pradesh], where development indicators are among India’s worst: Almost 51% of children under five years of age are underweight, and 49% are stunted. The state has India’s highest infant mortality rate, i.e. the number of … Read more

Irula communities: Spread over the three southern States with a language marked by unique features – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Kerala

3.10. Cultural Forms of the Irula People The life cycle rituals of the Irulas are markedly different from that of the other Hindu or Christian communities. They perform the life cycle ceremonies with the help of their women by well-established cultural patterns and do not depend on outside intervention to keep itself going. They celebrate … Read more