Oprom do cet’ tin…? What is my identity…? Joidhon Soren lies, limp and listless, on a railway hospital bed. It is one of the big hospitals of the industrial town of Mahuapara, so his condition is clearly serious. He is delirious and mutters incoherently. His eyes are fixed on the ceiling with an unblinking stare … Read more
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
Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, New Delhi, 20th July, 2012 The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency for implementing the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, which seeks to recognize and vest the forest rights and occupation in forest land in … 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