~ Tata Steel announces fourth edition of the tribal conclave ~

A cultural collage with hues from India and abroad will take over Jamshedpur, from November 15-19, as it plays host to the fourth edition of Tata Steel’s tribal conclave - Samvaad. Samvaad coincides with Jharkhand’s Statehood Day and the birth anniversary of celebrated tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda. Since 2014, it has been providing tribes from across India with a platform for discussions and dissent as well as celebration of the tribal ethos.  

This edition of Samvaad will draw tribal representatives internationally, from Australia, Canada, Kenya and Zimbabwe. The event will witness an exchange of thoughts on indigenous culture, heritage, arts and inheritance with the visiting guests and India’s very own tribal communities who will travel from the length and breadth of India. Picture this: 103 tribes from 127 districts representing 21 Indian states will be converging at Samvaad 2017.

The theme for Samvaad 2017 is `Aspiration of Tribal Youth & Leadership for Future’. In keeping with the theme, 500 tribal youth will congregate at Jamshedpur. These young men and women representing 103 tribes would go through a structured leadership programme which will be imparted through a series of workshops that would be conducted by eminent subject matter experts at Tribal Culture Centre, Sonari. The young lot will be sharing their tales of transformation, struggles, sacrifices and successes. The likes of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Padma Shri Shantha Sinha etc will delve deep in discussions with these youth to bring out the best in them.

The rich tradition of Samvaad being inaugurated amid the beating of Nagadas (kettle drums) will continue as the same will mark its inauguration at the Gopal Maidan. This venue will erupt in multifarious colours each evening, with cultural performances that will be staged by tribal artistes on all five days. Adding to the excitement at this venue will be a handicraft exhibition-cum-sale.

Basking in colourful cultures, this time, the visitors at Samvaad will also be able to catch some sporting action. Thanks to National Tribal Sports Festival, a new element added to the Samvaad, this year. The Festival at Gopal Maidan will feature four action-packed tribal sports—Naga Wrestling (Chakhesang tribe, Nagaland), Hambi Kepathu (Karbi tribe, Assam), Kati (Santhal tribe, Jharkhand and Odisha) and Sekkor (Ho tribe, Jharkhand).

Age-old medicines, on which tribal communities deeply rely on despite modern healthcare services, can be observed from close quarters at an exposition on tribal medicines at Gopal Maidan. Those looking for fulfilling their gastronomical urges, Tribal Food Festival at Samvaad would be the place to be. Facilitated by the Taj Group of Hotels, the Food Festival will dish out authentic tribal cuisines.

About Tata Steel

Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2017. It is the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $18.12 billion (INR 117,420 crore) in FY17. Tata Steel Group is spread across five continents with an employee base of nearly 74,000. Having bagged the Deming Application Prize and Deming Grand Prize for continuous improvement in 2008 and 2012 respectively, Tata Steel has now been recognised as the global ‘Industry Leader’ in ‘Steel category’ by Dow Jones Sustainability Index (2015). Besides being a member of the World Steel Climate Action Programme, Tata Steel has also been felicitated with several awards including the Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2013-14 (received in 2017), Best Risk Management by CNBC TV18 (2016), ‘Best-in-class Manufacturing’ award from TIME India (2016) and the ‘Most Ethical Company’ award from the Ethisphere Institute (2016), IIM Sustainability Award (2015), among several others.