Dictionary in Santhali language released, communities from Kerala, Nagaland, Odisha, Kashmir, Meghalaya, Assam and Rajasthan regale audience
Jamshedpur: Day 4 of Samvaad 2022 witnessed the signing of MoU between Tata Steel Foundation (TSF) and Task Force of Music and Arts (TaFMA). TaFMA caters and promotes ‘music & arts as an industry’ and gives a platform for growth and development of musicians and artists.
This was signed between Mr. Sourav Roy, (CEO-Tata Steel Foundation) and Dr. Hovithal Sothu (Project Director-TaFMA) and exchanged between Mr. Theja Meru (Advisor-TaFMA) and Mr Roy.
TSF is partnering with TaFMA to support initiatives by each other and help in the development, promotion and protection of tribal music and art and to create an environment of cross-cultural exchange. It conducts events like Hornbill International Rock Festival, music competitions in all districts of Nagaland, training in music and sound engineering for aspiring Naga musicians, workshops and seminars for skill up-gradation and motivation of musicians, workshop and training on event planning and management, fundraising events for noble causes, etc.
TSF and TaFMA will consider exchange programs and mutual participation in Hornbill Festival and Samvaad while also exploring joint experimental sessions and training programs for the artists. They will also keenly explore ways to share knowledge and good practices to help and promote each other’s activities, craft, and culture. Both the partners will join hands to preserve, promote and nurture music and arts of the indigenous communities.The partnership is of 3 years initially.
“Nagaland is a culturally vibrant state and their thinking on culture is very strong. It was an obvious choice for Samvaad to collaborate with Hornbill as being a part of the festival is as aspiration for many. We have a network of tribal artistes that spreads across the country and collaboration will ensure that people for whom the stage matters get their platform,” said Mr Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation.
A memorandum of understanding was also signed between Samvaad and the Indian Music Experience Museum in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Together under the aegis of the Samvaad program, a tribal music experience hall will be built at the Indian Music Experience Museum. The building of this hall is projected to take 6 months to build and will be a permanent exhibition of the Museum.
The day also saw the release of a dictionary in Santhali language, books like ‘Van Gujjari Kahaniyan’, ‘Oraon Sanskriti Evam Kala: Ek Jhalak’ and ‘Sedan-Rising Sun’ besides signing of another MoU with TaFMA.
Today, Samvaad witnessed cultural performances by indigenous communities of Kerala, Nagaland, Odisha, Kashmir, Meghalaya, Assam and Rajasthan
Garo Tribe from Meghalaya presented Wangala dance. Ethnically Garos are a tribe of Tibeto-Burman linguistic family under Mongoloid racial stock. The Garos are the second largest tribe after the Khasis in Meghalaya. Wangala, a dance of 1000 drums, is performed during harvesting season.
Next performance was from Mavilan Tribe from Kerala who exhibited Mangalamkali dance. They had been hunters, food gatherers and followed shifting cultivation. They speak Tulu, a mix of Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.
Bagurumba, most significant and popular folk dance of the Bodo tribe from the state of Assam followed Mavilan.
Sahariya Tribe from Rajasthan performed Swang Nritya dance. The dance form is performed in village chowpals during the festival of Holi for about a month. The community organise themselves in groups and travel from village to village to perform the dance.
Gujjar Tribe from Kashmir regaled the audiences with performance of Gojri dance. The people of the nomadic Gujjar tribe reside in the plains in winter and move to the mountains in summer.
Kondh tribe from neighbouring Odisha performed Dalkhai dance. The Kondh is numerically the largest tribe of Odisha distributed in various pockets of southern Odisha. They received their name from the Telugu word Kondh meaning small Hill as they inhabited the high altitude hilly terrains of Odisha. They are agriculturists and they practise shifting cultivation on the hill tops and slopes as well as plough cultivation in valleys and plains. The people of the Kondh tribe believe in animism and their beliefs centre around nature.
Eastory, a folk music band from Nagaland concluded today’s cultural evening with a bang. Eastory as a musical group with the world unfolded tales from yonder – of battles won and lost, of love and heart breaks , of fun and frolic and of life from a simpler time.
Samvaad, a one-of-its kind pan-India tribal conclave organised by Tata Steel Foundation unfolded on November 15 with homage to Bir Birsa Munda, India’s most widely revered tribal icon. The inaugural function witnessed the reverberating beats of 501 nagadas and unveiling of the Jawa amid much fanfare.
Samvaad, a Signature Programme on Tribal Identity, is in its 9th edition this year, scheduled between November 15 to 19. Reconvening offline after the pandemic years, Samvaad 2022 is hosting over 2000 people representing about 200 tribes, including 27 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) from 23 states and 4 Union Territories.
Final Day Highlights @Gopal Maidan, Bistupur
Tribal Art & Handicrafts (9:30 AM-12:30 PM & 6:00 PM-9:00 PM)
Tribal Healing Practices (9:30AM-1:00 PM & 3:00 PM-9:00 PM)
Tribal Cuisine (6:00 PM-9:00 PM)
Cultural Celebrations (6:00 PM-9:00 PM)
