ANTARA BOSE
Jamshedpur, Nov 14: Tata Steel Foundation’s signature fest, Samvaad- the tribal conclave will be organised between Nov 15 and Nov 19 at Gopal Maidan, Bistupur.
The new addition to this year’s Samvaad will be Rhythm of the Earth- an initiative to promote tribal music in mainstream spaces. The first full-length album with 12 original compositions will be produced in collaboration with Swarathma, the renowned band. The details of Samvaad’s ninth edition were shared by Tata Steel chief of CSR, Sourav Roy and head of Urban Services and Tribal Culture Society Jiren Topno at a press meet organised at the Tribal Culture Centre in Sonari on Monday.
About 2,000 people from 200 tribes from 23 states, four Union Territories in India and five other countries- Laos, Brazil, Uganda, Zambia and Mexico will participate in the five-day conclave. There will be 27 particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) who will also participate in this year’s Samvaad. While the major events will be organised at Gopal Maidan, some sessions and group discussions shall also be organised at the Tribal Culture Centre in Sonari.
Samvaad over the years has become an ecosystem where tribal communities from all over India and foreign countries come together to celebrate tribal culture and start conversations that centre on issues concerning tribal communities in a time of fast-paced development and industrialisation. This year’s theme is ‘Reimagine’- aimed towards fostering conversations around the role of indigenous people in enabling social change in this dynamic society and listening to voices from communities. From climate change, education, nutrition, the delegates will be here to discuss the most critical problems that these tribal communities face at present.
“Samvaad 2022 will see participation from renowned leaders within their communities and in developmental spaces like Padma Shri Durgabai Vyam and Subhash Vyam, Japani Shyam, Dr Sonam Wangchuk and many more. Also, the Rhythm of the Earth will be a special addition to music during the last two years of the pandemic, people were moving out of music and here we are presenting 12 original compositions in languages,” said Roy.
Also this year more than 175 tribal healers come together at Samvaad to put a structure to the tribal healers’ collective. This collective shall focus on re-establishing the importance of tribal healing practices and exploring ways of integrating these practices in modern contexts.
Over 41 art forms will be represented in tribal arts and handicrafts through exhibition cum sale stalls, alongside live demonstrations of art forms like Santhal puppetry, Warli art, Bodo weaving among others. On the culinary side, more than 101 tribal recipes prepared by 112 home cooks will be served as curated lunches to promote the flavours of tribal food. Jamshedpur’s food lovers can also order tribal food from Aathitya@Samvaad on Zomato.
