Unicef packages: tribal languages as the medium of instruction for children – Jharkhand

At a time when the state is red-faced about rural primary schoolchildren clueless in class, Unicef (Jharkhand) has embarked upon a pioneering project of preparing textbooks in tribal and regional languages for children for whom Hindi is as alien a medium of instruction as English. […] Textbooks include a theme-based pictorial dictionary in tribal and … Read more

In search of a development that preserves the best parts of Adivasi culture and collectivity: Imagining an alternative “Discovery Of India”

Call us adivasis, please If Adivasis were to start writing their own Discovery Of India, it would be something like this: There are those who talk of India’s “5000 year-old culture,” there are those who talk of its “timeless traditions.” If India has a timeless tradition, it is ours. The cultures running back for tens … Read more

Perspectives from the Margins: Examining Adivasi Narratives of the Naxalbari Movement in West Bengal – “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference)

Abstract 7: Perspectives from the Margins: Examining Adivasi Narratives of the Naxalbari Movement in West Bengal, 1967-72 Paper presented for “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference) – New Delhi BIPASHA ROSY LAKRA Centre for Political Studies, SSS, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi KEYWORDS: NAXALBARI, RESISTANCE, ZAMINDARS, HISTORY, NARRATIVE  Naxalbari gets its … Read more

Video | Chhau Dance: “A major dance tradition that involves the entire community” – Jharkhand & West Bengal

Prevalent in the tribal belt of the bordering areas of the provinces of Orissa, Jharkhand and West- Bengal in eastern India. There are three district forms of Chhau: (i) Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand (ii) Mayurbhanj Chhau of Orissa (iii) Purulia Chhau of West Bengal (i) The dances as mainly come from communities known as Mundas, … Read more

eBook | Representations of Birsa Munda: Leader of the 1890 Munda rebellion – Jharkhand

Imagine a 25-year-old who took on an empire, left an indelible mark on tribal rights across the country and was seen as a mystic and folk hero for hundreds of thousands. Few would have achieved so much in so short a time and it’s not surprising then that Birsa Munda’s portrait hangs proudly in India’s parliament. | … Read more