“While benefiting from affirmative action in some cases, Adivasis or indigenous people in India also feel the claustrophobic confines of their identity which has been imposed on them by others, be it the colonial administrator, the colonial anthropologist, the missionary or the neo-liberal, neo-imperialist forces that rule global economy today.” – Santali poet, scholar and translator Ivy Imogene Hansdak in “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?”, Inaugural Speech, National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (2017)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032
SANTAL ONOLIA HELMEL 2013 Introduction: For centuries, a large proportion of India’s rich literary heritage was conserved in oral form in the tribal/ indigenous/ adivasi languages of India. After these tribal languages were reduced to script form in the nineteenth century, their oral traditions were documented and preserved as folklore. But as these communities were … Read more
The Garo tribe of Western Meghalaya celebrates the winter harvest with a three-day festival. Pheroze L. Vincent watches the Garos climb oiled poles, burst into war cries, and perform dances inspired by crabs and swaying plants. Appearances are deceptive. The mobile phones of bus conductors play Bob Dylan and Eminem booms in the Mi Dokan … Read more
PAVAN DAHAT, AMRAVATI (MAHARASHTRA), January 2, 2013 Three water hand pumps, out of which only one is working, one defunct TV set (used only for show), three telephone connections (out of which only one is working) are all that Madizadap village in the Amravati district has. Of the 65 families in the small village surrounded by … Read more
V. Kumara Swamy, The Telegraph, Calcutta, Sunday, May 30 , 2010Bhan Sahu has a question for Bill Gates. She has heard about the Microsoft co-founder’s philanthropic activities and wants to know if mobile communication, like email, can be free. The question has been forwarded to Gates. Meanwhile, the 38-year-old social activist in Chhattisgarh is busy … Read more
On first sight, says Lakshmanan, he was appalled at their condition. “They had nothing. The education and health conditions of the people were very bad. They had no community certificates,” he says. Lakshmanan left with a heavy heart, only to come back again and again. He accompanied members of the Tamil Nadu Pazhankudi Makkal Sangam, … Read more