• About 2000 people participated in the celebration at Baghuapal village
• Exhibition on tribal artifacts, major tribal groups of Odisha held
• Live shows on making of Banam, date leave mat and storage structure of paddy straw organised

Tata Steel observed International Day of the World’s IndigenousPeoples with fervour at Baghuapal village, Kalinganagar on August 9, 2015 and at its Sukinda Chromite Mines on August 11, 2015.

The day was observed for the third consecutive year in Kalinganagar by Tata Steel Rural Development Society witnessing participation of almost 2000 people of nearby communities. The programme started with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest Mr Parmanand Patel, an expert on tribal language from Bhubaneswar. While speaking on the occasion, Mr Patel said, “For the members of every tribal group, it is important to know and understand their culture. They must live with it and take initiatives to preserve it for it is their sole responsibility to save it and pass on to their next generation. Similarly, getting recognition of a language is not the end. It’s a continuous process. Growth of a language and its literature is the responsibility of the people of that particular community who use it and who would create its literature. International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples reminds us the indispensability of those things. Tata Steel can only provide support and resources but the tribal groups have to do the rest.”

Following this, Dhap dance was performed by Traditional Tribal Dance Group of Titlagarh and Kishan dance by Mahaveer Parta of Bamra, Sambalpur. The two-hour long performance by both the teams enthralled the spectators.

On the sideline of the programme, an exhibition of tribal artifacts by 10 major tribal groups of Odisha was held. Also, live shows on making Banam, a tribal musical instrument, mat of datepalm leaves and storage structure of paddy straw were demonstrated.

The other guests included Mr Biren Jamuda, a local tribal leader, Mr Damodar Hansda of Adivasi Ho Mahasabha, Saraikela-Kharsawan, also a Ho language expert, and Mr Jagannath Hansda, another Ho language expert from Jharkhand. Mr Ambika Prasad Nanda, Head (CSR), Odisha, Tata Steel, and Mr Sisir Tarafder, Unit Head, TSRDS, Kalinganagar, were also present on the occasion.

At the celebrations at Sukinda Chromite Mines of Tata Steel, Mrs. Bhagabati Mahanta Chairperson Sukinda Block was the Chief Guest and Mr. Pappu Singh, Deputy President SCM Workers Union was the Chief Speaker. 116 men and women from the nearby villages participated in the program. Mr. Mukesh Kapoor Head Finance, Mr. H. Behera Head Underground Mines, Mr. Goutam Chakrobarty Head Admin, Dr. M. M. Majhi SCM Hospital, Mr. S. N. Pandey President SCM workers Union, Mr. Allen Joseph Unit Head Bamnipal, Mrs. Shushma Nayak Sarpanch GP Ransol also participated in the program.

Students of Govt. High School Domsala performed folk dance on the occasion. Members of Community Art Center played a skit play and performed Santhali folk dance, some of the villagers, Chief Guest and guests also participated in the dance with the team.

Every year, 9th August is commemorated as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The day is celebrated with special events around the world, including at United Nations Headquarters. This year's theme puts a spotlight on the issue of indigenous peoples' access to health care services, as improving indigenous peoples’ health remains a critical challenge for indigenous peoples, Member States and the United Nations.

About Tata Steel
Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of nearly 30 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). It is now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 22.32 billion in FY 15, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.

Chief, Corporate Communications, India & SEA
Tata Steel