About Samvaad

Samvaad, since 2014, has emerged as an ecosystem that brings together tribes of India and beyond for constructive dialogue. It enables key elements of tribal identity to thrive, be celebrated and fed into the dialogue and fosters a youth peer group who drive positive change. It has brought together more than 30,000 women, men and children from 157 tribes across 25 states and five Union Territories of India and 17 countries, who have reinstated faith in the Samvaad ecosystem, time and again, in impartial contemplation of tribal narratives, balanced with celebration of rich tribal culture, music, folklore and beyond.

This ecosystem, each year, is held together by an underlying theme which is contextual and resonant for dialogue throughout the year and the five-day annual event held during November. The theme has matured from specific domains like tribal languages, leadership, culture, healing practices among others, leading to broader pivots of conversations on Tribalism Today and Coming Together for Social Change.

Continuing the dialogue: We are at the cusp of a decade that is everchanging and, at this juncture, a lot is being reimagined including the future and what it portends for today. A new agenda for change is emerging and is raising questions that will not go away. In this context, Samvaad 2021 hopes to reflect on what tribal communities envision their future to be, in the theme for this year, ‘Reimagine.’

This year, we aim to bring communities closer to understand the need to reimagine a future that enables long-term change, codesigning new solutions and embrace the role of tribal way of life to drive transformations and come up with a collective voice that resonates with all.

We can only do so much by ourselves, but coming together can ensure deeper impact. We seek to harness the Samvaad platform and take the time to listen, learn, and be authentic with each other, together, and reimagine a world that has the power to create lasting change.


Objective

To create a common platform for communities to come together, which, we believe, is worth doing by itself.

To bring collective wisdom under one roof so as to stimulate a valuable exchange and cross-pollination of ideas.
To document and hence, preserve a body of knowledge and a world-view that runs the risk of being obliterated.
To understand issues and angst of tribal communities and sensitize all on the same, thereby creating empathy and understanding and removing prejudices.
To highlight models that have worked, solutions that can be migrated and success stories of individuals and organizations that can inspire others and create a sense of hope and positivity.


The Ecosystem

Bringing together tribes of India and beyond for constructive dialogue.
  • • Samvaad Conclave – brings together over 1,500 women, children and men from tribes of India and beyond, to foster dialogue on their perspectives and challenges, and celebrates their way of life.
  • • Regional Samvaad Events – hyperlocal dialogues designed to overcome barriers of reach and access to tribes across India, which eventually strengthen the overall Samvaad discourse.
Enabling key elements of tribal identity to thrive, be celebrated and feed into the dialogue.
  • • Tribal Healers – revisiting the wisdom in tribal medicine to explore and promote traditional ways of healing
  • • Tribal Handicrafts / Artisans – celebrating and popularizing traditional crafts and skills unique to the tribes of India
  • • Tribal Cuisines – bringing together the cultural, nutritional and commercial significance of the culinary heritage of the tribes.
  • • Samudaay Ke Saath – using the power of cinema to highlight cultural identity, wisdom and fostering an alternative perspective on development surrounding tribal communities.
  • • Rhythms of the Earth – a collective of 80+ musicians with diverse tribal instruments expressing their traditional musical heritage through a unified symphony
  • • Tribal Heritage Conservation – curating socio-cultural engagements including heritage walks, museums, cultural performances and literature which serve as tangible symbols of the way of life of the tribes of India.
  • • Tribal Languages – promoting languages to strengthen the culture and identity of tribes enabling a positive ecosystem that encourages creation of literature on tribalism
  • • Tribal Sports – engages tribal women, children and men to express themselves through traditional tribal sports
Fostering a youth peer group who drive positive change.
  • • Tribal Leadership Programme – a course designed to bring together and equip a cohort of young women and men from the tribes of India who have inculcated the best of tribal value systems, to work towards positive societal change.
  • • Samvaad Fellowship – encourages community-based action research on tribal culture and heritage, propelled by a network of like-minded individuals.
  • • Samvaad Action Research Collective – encourages action research on different aspects concerning the tribal development sphere, aiming to contribute to the dialogue at a policy level.


Did you know?

  • The single largest platform backed by any corporate house, Samvaad draws over 1,200 tribal artists, scholars, thinkers, development practitioners and experts from other walks of life, annually.

  • Samvaad is fast growing as an eco-system for tribes’ dialogue, discussions, celebration and dissent.

  • Aspiring tribal youth leaders have been handpicked and nurtured at Tribal Leadership Programme (TLP), a crucial initiative in the Samvaad universe.

  • Samvaad has emerged as a platform where tribal thoughts and voices manifest in various forms –panel discussions, paper presentations, cultural performances and film screening.

  • Regional Samvaads organised in different parts of the country make Samvaad more participatory and broad-based.