Category Archives: Accountability

Mahasweta Devi: A model in which activism and writing can reflect upon each other

Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in the city of Dacca in East Bengal (modern day Bangladesh). As an adolescent, she and her family moved to West Bengal in India. Born into a literary family, Mahasweta Devi was also influenced … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, History, Literature - fiction, Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Storytelling, Women | Comments Off

Supreme Court declares a buffer zone around the Jarawa Tribal Reserve Area: Protecting the safety, security and interests of the Jarawas – Andaman

J. Venkatesan, The Hindu, New Delhi, January 21, 2013 The Supreme Court on Monday banned tourists from taking the Andaman Nicobar Trunk Road that passes through the area where the Jarawas live. The road is used to reach the Limestone Cave. … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Government of India, Names and communities, Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tourism | Tagged | Comments Off

A way to preserve biodiversity: India’s inspiring tradition of sacred groves – Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel

In commissioning a High-Level Working Group headed by the space scientist K. Kasturirangan to study the recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), the Ministry of Environment and Forests hoped to resolve an impasse. It now appears that … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Colonial policies, Commentary, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, Media portrayal, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Press snippets, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology | Comments Off

Tip | Search articles on tribal history, politics and literature on Ramachandra Guha’s website

Type “adivasi”, “tribal”, “Mahasweta Devi”, “Verrier Elwin”, the name of place or a tribal community or similar combinations of words in the the Quick Search field seen on Ramachandra Guha’s website >> Guha’s books include a pioneering environmental history, The … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Anthropology, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Commentary, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Dress and ornaments, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Gandhian social movement, Health and nutrition, History, Internet, Literature and bibliographies, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Seasons and festivals, Tips, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Egalitarian culture leaves Adivasi youth unprepared for competition: On the challenge of balancing tradition and modernity

Boro Baski is a teacher and social worker with the community-based organisation Ghosaldanga Adibasi Seva Sangha in West Bengal. Read the entire article >> Boro Baski, 13/05/2013 The young generation of India’s tribal communities is struggling with different problems than the college-educated urban … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Assimilation, Commentary, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, History, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off

Call for respect to indigenous peoples and an end to gender discrimination: India’s first National Dalit and Adivasi Women’s Congress

Dalit and Adivasi Women Warriors Question Caste and Gender Oppression Sujatha Surepally | Read the entire report with more photos >> (Impressions from the first National Dalit and Adivasi Women’s Congress held on February 15-16, 2013, at Tata Institute of Social … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Community facilities, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Education and literacy, Health and nutrition, Modernity, Networking, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Women | Comments Off

Indigenous communities’ decisions on traditional lands and habitats to be respected, based on information provided in a language accessible to them: Supreme Court ruling a great victory for indigenous rights – Odisha (Orissa)

Amnesty International, 18 April 2013 India: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a great victory for indigenous rights Today’s ruling by India’s Supreme Court that the Indigenous (Adivasi) communities will have the final decision on plans for a bauxite mine by a subsidiary … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Maps, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Women | Tagged | Comments Off

The Western Ghats are no ordinary ecosystem: They constitute the water tower of peninsular India

Madhav Gadgil & Ligia Noronha, The Hindu, 2-5-13  [...] This is a challenging time in India’s development history where a number of tenets of environmental governance are being questioned by the imperative of growth. Environmental governance in India is under … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Commentary, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Figures, census and other statistics, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Maps, Misconceptions, Nature and wildlife, Press snippets, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology | Comments Off

Bushmen, the original people of southern Africa, regain the right to live on their ancestral lands – Botswana

A celebration of the Bushmen’s historic court victory against their expulsion from their ancestral lands, weaving together photos and testimonies showing their profound connection to their homelands. The Bushmen are the original people of southern Africa. They can uniquely claim … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Community facilities, Cultural heritage, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Economy and development, History, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tribal culture worldwide | Comments Off

Missing school in spite “very good laws” for child protection: Unicef – Meghalaya

By GARDINER HARRIS, nytimes.com, February 25, 2013 Slideshow >> “We have very good laws in this country,” said Vandhana Kandhari, a child protection specialist at Unicef. “It’s our implementation that’s the problem.” [...] Meghalaya lies in India’s isolated northeast, a stump … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Childhood and children, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Government of India, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty | Comments Off

Implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act poses the biggest challenge for the education system of India – United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education

Dr. Kishore Singh, Foundation Day Lecture, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, 5th March 2012 New Delhi [...] Monitoring the implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, enacted by Parliament in August … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Childhood and children, Democracy, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, Organizations, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tagore and rural culture | Comments Off

Towards administrative mechanisms that meet the requirements of the Indian Constitution and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005, an Act of Parliament (December 2005). The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, … Continue reading

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Tip | Tribal culture worldwide: Search newint.org

To read the regular newint.org blog on developments in India by Mari Marcel Thekaekara (e.g. Adivasi culture, environmental issues and women’s rights) and others (i.e. tribal culture worldwide), search here: http://newint.org/themes/society/indigenous-peoples/>> Related posts Democracy Mari Thekaekara (on this website) Misconceptions Modernity Tribal culture worldwide … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Colonial policies, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Globalization, Health and nutrition, History, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Organizations, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Tips, Tribal culture worldwide, Tribal identity, Women | Comments Off

Mahatma Gandhi on industrialism and his appeal to capitalists of India to become “trustees to the welfare of the masses” – Young India 1928

Capitalists Of India Wardha Before 20 December 1928 GOD FORBID that India should ever take to industrialism after the manner of the West. The economic imperialism of a single tiny island kingdom (England) is today keeping the world in chains. … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Colonial policies, Customs, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Gandhian social movement, Globalization, Health and nutrition, History, Literature and bibliographies, Misconceptions, Modernity, Organizations, Quotes, Rural poverty | Comments Off

Ensuring continued access to Indian medicine poorer sections of Indian society – Traditional Knowledge And World Intellectual Property Law

Jennifer Anne Blaylock Rina Elster Pantalony Copyright, Legal Issues and Policy H72.1804 December 16, 2008 Traditional Knowledge And World Intellectual Property Law [...] TK [Traditional Knowledge] policies ideally benefit indigenous populations by protecting their specialized knowledge from exploitation by third parties. … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, De- and re-tribalisation, Economy and development, Globalization, Health and nutrition, Literature and bibliographies, Misconceptions, Organizations, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Tribal culture worldwide | Comments Off

Consent from tribals no longer required by Govt. of India: handing forestlands over for projects that affect sacred places of worship

Nitin Sethi, Times Of India,  Feb 16, 2013, NEW DELHI: The government has diluted its stand on requiring consent from tribals before handing over their forestlands for projects in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on the Vedanta case. … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, De- and re-tribalisation, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tribal identity, Worship and rituals | Comments Off

Alcohol and drug-awareness group, political leaders and women activists worried: Increased alcoholism in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

What’s the price of the ‘right’ to alcohol? By Mari Marcel Thekaekara, New Internationalist, March 8, 2013 While successive governments have patted themselves on their backs, each claiming credit for our galloping economy, India refuses to talk about the enormous social costs to … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Childhood and children, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, Health and nutrition, Misconceptions, Modernity, Networking, Organizations, Press snippets, Rural poverty, Women | Comments Off

Forcing tribal peoples into the mainstream, exploitative ‘human safaris’ allowed to continue – Andaman Islands

Survival for tribal peoples, 5 March 2013 India’s Supreme Court today reportedly reversed its previous ‘interim order’ to ban ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands, dealing a major blow to the campaign against the controversial tours. [...] Alarm bells also rang when … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Commentary, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, Government of India, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tourism, Tribal identity | Tagged | Comments Off

India’s Supreme Court orders a “no-go” zone: protecting the Jarawa people’s dignity and health – Andaman & Nicobar

Dhananjay Mahapatra, Times Of India,  Jan 22, 2013 Supreme Court bars entry of tourists in Jarawa tribe habitat NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday wanted to know from Andaman & Nicobar Island administration whether it intended to keep in isolation the … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, De- and re-tribalisation, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Health and nutrition, Media portrayal, Names and communities, Press snippets, Tourism | Tagged | Comments Off

The Status of Tribal Children in India: A historical perspective – UNICEF Working Paper Series Children of India

Brief excerpts from the IHD – UNICEF Working Paper Series, Children of India: Rights and Opportunities. Read the full report (PDF) >> By Virginius Xerox, Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University 2. Status of Tribal Children  On the eve of Independence, … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Childhood and children, Democracy, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, History, Misconceptions, Organizations, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty | Comments Off

Sensitive documentary about the Adivasis: “Ab Aur Waqt Nahin” (Running Out of Time) by Abhijay Karlekar – Jharkhand

Frontline, Volume 23 – Issue 13, Jul. 01-14, 2006 View more photos here >> UNTIL the 1990s, when the movement for a separate state gathered momentum, Jharkhand was not in the public mind. Carved out of southern Bihar, it came into … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Film, History, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Rural poverty | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Union rural development minister advises tribal representatives to exert their rights: liberty to follow their own customs, have their own resources and self rule

Riyan Ramanath V, Times of India, Feb 5, 2013 BHUBANESWAR: When Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh interacted with representatives of Biswanathpur panchayat in Kalahandi district during his recent visit, he was surprised when the representatives failed to comprehend what … Continue reading

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Video | Portrait Dayamani Barla known as the “Iron Lady of Jharkhand”

Documentary directed and produced by Leena Manimekalai.  IAWRT Documentary Fellowship (2012) “Still I Rise” is a video portrait of indigenous tribal journalist and activist Dayamani Barla. “I was amidst the world of non Adivasi journalists because I was completely a newcomer … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi, Democracy, Economy and development, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Networking, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Storytelling, Video resources - external, Women | Tagged | Comments Off

New category relating to the Forest Rights Act (FRA)

An overview of all posts with information on India’s legislation is now found on this website: Forest Rights Act (FRA) Tribals have been residing in forest land for generations, cultivating and collecting forest produce like firewood and fruits. They, however, do … Continue reading

Posted in Accountability, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, History, Nature and wildlife, Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tips, Topics and issues | Comments Off

What is the Forest Rights Act about? Who is a forest dweller under this law, and who gets rights? – Campaign for Survival and Dignity

Millions of people live in and near India’s forest lands, but have no legal right to their homes, lands or livelihoods.  A few government officials have all power over forests and forest dwellers. The result? Both forests and people die.  … Continue reading

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