Video | “Rasi Nato” (Big Village): Song 5 from Santali video album “Ale Ato” (Our Village) – West Bengal

5 Rasi Nato (Big Village) [Starting from 16:25, continues/ends in Part 2] ThemeA group of women recall their bygone days:In our big village we girls and boys were together in pairs. But the pairs of our friendships are no more. Some of us have shut ourselves up indoors. Some of us have chained ourselves 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

“Everyone wants to learn”: School programmes devised by expert members of the Santal community to facilitate development from within – West Bengal

Baski, who holds a doctorate in education and a master’s in social work from Viswa Bharati University, says he is happy being an educator. He has become a strong voice of the community not just in India but elsewhere, writing articles and books, and representing his community at conferences. He is also dedicated to preserving … Read more

Video | “Dark night”: The story behind the Santali song Nut ninda kadam kadam

By Boro Baski Sorhae parab is also the time to remember the bygone days and to feel nostalgic. When the women of the village return to their parents’ home from their husband’s village with their children they not only renew their love and relationship with their kins at home but also with their childhood friends. … Read more

Video | Santal flute played by Gokul Hansda: Reviving traditional culture in Santal villages around Santiniketan – West Bengal

Gokula Hansda – Santal bamboo flute (Har tiriyo) Gokula Hansda is a Santal educator and co-founder of Kulhidhuri, an organization devoted to preserving and reviving traditional Santal culture. Its members collect and sing traditional Santal songs at festivals throughout West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar. They wish to re-establish these songs as part of the informal education of … Read more