Category Archives: Modernity

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

Western India’s cotton-growing and -dyeing technologies traced to Indus Valley civilization

  The western region consists of the desert states of Gujarat and Rajasthan as well as Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and western Madhya Pradesh. [...] The region is home to a wide variety of people with different religious ‘s and … Continue reading

Posted in Crafts and visual arts, Customs, Dress and ornaments, Economy and development, Fashion, History, Modernity, Names and communities, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Women | 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

Encouraging centuries-old life-skills of Irulas: Eking out a living outside forests – Tamil Nadu

APARNA KARTHIKEYAN, The Hindu, 11-12-12 Janaki Lenin’s book [My Husband and Other Animals], a compilation of her popular column in The Hindu MetroPlus, offers insights into her husband Rom Whitaker’s fascination for animals, particularly snakes  When he came to Madras, Rom … Continue reading

Posted in Assimilation, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Literature and bibliographies, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Press snippets, Rural poverty, Women | Tagged | Comments Off

Seminar on the issue of trans-border Asia’s trans-border communities: Struggling to preserve their social and cultural characteristics – National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation

Ipsita Pati, The Hindu, Kolkata, February 24, 2013 Tribal groups have to relocate themselves to create new identities or merge with bigger nations as an adaptive strategy to preserve their inherited social and cultural characteristics, said National Atlas & Thematic Mapping … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropology, Assimilation, Government of India, History, Modernity, Networking, Organizations, Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tribal culture worldwide, Tribal identity | Comments Off

Call for providing children’s literature in Jharkhand’s endangered tribal languages: Sahitya Akademi’s seminar – Ranchi

The Telegraph, Kolkata, November 28 , 2012 Eight languages spoken by tribals of Jharkhand are among the world’s endangered list of 1,763, including 171 in India, according to a Unesco report. In this context, Sahitya Akademi, which hosted a two-day … Continue reading

Posted in Childhood and children, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Globalization, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Modernity, Organizations, Press snippets | Comments Off

Video | Trailer to “Have you seen the arana?” – Kerala

“The stories of ancestors and their discoveries give the film a mystical quality and work like a poetic refrain” – Review by Bikas Mishra >>

Posted in Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Health and nutrition, Maps, Modernity, Networking, Quotes, Storytelling, Video resources - external, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology, Women | Comments Off

Tip | Watch an educational video on ecowalkthetalk.com: Appreciating and sustaining India’s biodiversity

To view video contents on ecology and more, select a topic under Multimedia Biodiversity Development Sustainable agriculture and more … Eco WALK the Talk is a non-profit environmental website with an Asia focus. We cover eco news and insights, offer green … Continue reading

Posted in Customs, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Globalization, Health and nutrition, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Tips, Video resources - external, Women | Comments Off

Documentation of tribal music of India by Bhasha and Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh – Gujarat

Times of India, Nov 6, 2011 VADODARA: Now, you will be able to peep into the life of tribals and even hum some of their songs. The Bhasha Research and Publication Centre (BRPC), which has taken up a project for … Continue reading

Posted in Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Museum collections - India, Music and dance, Musicology, Names and communities, Performing arts, Press snippets, Resources, Seasons and festivals, Women | Tagged , | Comments Off

Earth Day 2013 celebrated at Vellambi tribal settlement: by Tribal Foundation Nagercoil – Tamil Nadu

Photos: courtesy S S Davidson © 2013 Tribal Foundation (Nagercoil) The Hindu, NAGERCOIL, April 23, 2013 Owing to rampant industrialization, unregulated use of chemicals and unplanned development, the planet was losing its regenerative capacity, environmental educator S. S. Davidson observed. … Continue reading

Posted in Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets | Comments Off

There you go! – Survival’s cartoon book

There you go! – Survival’s cartoon book – takes a satirical swipe at the ‘development’ of tribal peoples. With beautiful illustrations and wry humour, Oren Ginzburg tells the story of how tribal peoples are being destroyed in the name of … Continue reading

Posted in Commentary, eBook download sites, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Globalization, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Photos and slideshows, Resources, Storytelling | Comments Off

Akshara experiment and book – The wealth of India’s crafts combined with linguistic diversity

View the Caravan Magazine’s slideshow with explanations and picture credit here >> By Devina Dutt,  Caravan Magazine,  1 February 2013 [...] The Akshara experiment, carried out over five years, brought together 58 artists in crafts, textiles and traditional paintings on a journey … Continue reading

Posted in Crafts and visual arts, Education and literacy, Gandhian social movement, Globalization, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature and bibliographies, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets | Comments Off

An indigenous film industry for large indigenous populations: ‘Jhollywood’ tells the stories of modern Adivasis in Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Manipur

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 7, Issue 26, Dated July 3, 2010 Jhollywood is calling Forget the faux tribals grunting in Raavan. Jharkhand has its own film industry, made by Adivasi filmmakers for Adivasi viewers, says G VISHNUIS BEERA Formula for … Continue reading

Posted in Adivasi, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Film, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Press snippets, Storytelling | Comments Off

Conference on unrecognized languages: Bhasha Research Centre – Gujarat

The Indian Express, Vadodara, Thu Feb 18 2010 Come March, and the city’s linguistic diversity will increase manifold, though for a few days. [...] People speaking as many as 250 languages, which are not recognised by the Indian constitution, will … Continue reading

Posted in Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Modernity, Names and communities, Networking, Organizations, Press snippets | Tagged | Comments Off

Memories of life in a remote Bhil hamlet on the Narmada river: “poor but not impoverished” – Maharashtra

Simple ways of life Yoginder Sikand, Dec 23, 2012 : Reflections It was almost three decades ago and I have only very hazy memories of the trip. We, a batch of university students, accompanied our Anthropology professor to a remote tribal … Continue reading

Posted in Anthropology, Assimilation, Commentary, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, Dress and ornaments, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Government of India, Health and nutrition, History, Misconceptions, Modernity, Music and dance, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Press snippets, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off

Learning how to use video in rural education: A documentary made by Adivasi pupils in Gudalur (Nilgiri mountains) – Tamil Nadu

Recently we learnt how to shoot and edit films using video cameras and softwares, and now we are doing interviews with the people in our villages. Teachers and pupils of the school run by the Viswa Bharati Vidyodaya Trust belong to all … Continue reading

Posted in Adivasi, Childhood and children, Education and literacy, Games and leisure time, Media portrayal, Modernity, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Storytelling, Video resources - external, Websites by tribal communities, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Storytelling and local history in tribal school curriculum: Gudalur region (Nilgiri) – Tamil Nadu

March 27th, 2013  [...] A few of us have been busy over the last few weeks. We are trying to find ways to share stories of our local history with other in our school and family. For many years, the … Continue reading

Posted in Adivasi, Childhood and children, Cultural heritage, Education and literacy, History, Modernity, Names and communities, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Rural poverty, Storytelling, Tribal elders, Websites by tribal communities, Women | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Adivasi community event and documentary film screening hosted by Accord – Tamil Nadu

Accord held a meeting in memory of Manoharan who passed away in 2012. He worked with Accord for 20 years. A lecture was delivered by Shashank Kela, author of a recently published book titled ‘A Rogue and Peasant Slave’ dealing … Continue reading

Posted in Adivasi, Community facilities, Education and literacy, History, Maps, Media portrayal, Modernity, Names and communities, Networking, Organizations, Quotes, Tribal culture worldwide | Tagged | Comments Off

EU supported project to “bring back forests on forest land”: Auroville bioregion – Tamil Nadu

01 April 2002 | by Isha; source: Auroville Today, April 2002 European Union supports Auroville’s afforestation project. The planting of 75,000 trees within Auroville, fortifying Auroville’s forest gene and bunding and check dam work needed to combat soil erosion and … Continue reading

Posted in Ecology and environment, Figures, census and other statistics, Maps, Modernity, Names and communities, Networking, Organizations, Press snippets, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off

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

Slideshow | Community screening of documentary “Have you seen the Arana?” in Gudalur – Tamil Nadu

Bangalore-based filmmaker Sunanda Bhat was invited by ACCORD for a community screening of her award winning documentary ”Have you seen the Arana?” on 24 March 2013 in Gudalur. Her audience comprised students, their teachers and other members of the different Adivasi communities of … Continue reading

Posted in Adivasi, Childhood and children, Community facilities, Cultural heritage, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Film, Media portrayal, Modernity, Networking, Photos and slideshows, Storytelling, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology | Comments Off

Celebrating World Water Day 2013: Government Tribal Middle School at Manalodai in the forest area of Western Ghats – Tamil Nadu

Photo: courtesy S S Davidson © 2013 Tribal Foundation (Nagercoil) The Hindu, NAGERCOIL, March 25, 2013 World Water Day was celebrated at the Government Tribal Middle School at Manalodai in the forest area of Western Ghats in Kanyakumari on Saturday. Addressing the … Continue reading

Posted in Eco tourism, Ecology and environment, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Health and nutrition, Modernity, Organizations, Press snippets | 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

“Ayurveda has evolved from the folk medicine” – Book review: Medicine and Life Sciences in India

Review: Medicine and Life Sciences in India. Subbarayappa, B. V. (Ed.) 2001. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Pp: 771. Price not given. by D.P. Agrawal & Lalit Tiwari Of late the West is veering round to the Alternative … Continue reading

Posted in Archaeology, Customs, Ecology and environment, Figures, census and other statistics, Globalization, Health and nutrition, History, Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Quotes | Comments Off

Tribal children instill change in their communities: overcoming domestic violence and oppression of women – Tamil Nadu

SARAH ELIZABETH WEBB, The Hindu, February 16, 2013 I have been patient — tolerant even — of the constant threat of sexual harassment that comes with travelling as a Western Woman. I anticipated it and took precautions by dressing conservatively and … Continue reading

Posted in Adivasi, Childhood and children, Customs, Education and literacy, Misconceptions, Modernity, Press snippets, Women | Comments Off