“Within villages around Dang [Gujarat], traditional instruments and artists are waning. Cultural music and dance forms among the adivasis have evolved over centuries. Beautified by elements and nuances of their surroundings, these forms depict their very lifestyles. Played for hours together in the same tempo, music is an integral part of celebrations and mourning. […] Each instrument has a purpose and belief related to it.” – Ashleshaa Khurana in “The ailing art of adivasi music” (Times of India, 30 January 2014)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=13780
Villagers at Sawra have decided to revive their traditional dances in an effort to preserve and showcase their rich culture. Satpuda Foundation (a wildlife conservation NGO working in central India) is encouraging this and other community initiatives. It is hoped that tourists going to Pench National Park will also visit local villages to understand the … Read more
6 Dungri latar (At the Foothill) [Starting from 1:06] Version with subtitles >> ThemeA boy tells a girl:At the foothill in the stone quarry, I see you carrying stone chips on your head and become sad, Muni. For money and earthly pleasure you spoil your youthful body and your soul.The girl tells the boy:What can … Read more
DIGITAL COMMUNITY ARCHIVES FOR VERNACULAR MUSICS: CASES FROM INDIA Aditi Deo (University of Oxford) | Read the full article here >> […] This article draws upon ethnographic research in small towns in north India with local small-scale initiatives to archive oral vernacular musics—musics described as folk and tribal. It explores the varied ways in which digital audiovisual … Read more
4 Hermet Dipil (On my Hip and my Head) [Starting from 13:19] ThemeA young girl tells her mother:I am tired of carrying an earthen water pot on my hip and on my head, dear mother. Buy me some pots of silver and gold.I am tired of carrying my little brother on my hip from one side … Read more