Witnessed participation from 120 participants from 28 Tribal communities in the South

In the run-up to its pan-India tribal conclave Samvaad, held in Jamshedpur in the month of November every year, Tata Steel organized its first regional ‘Samvaad’ in Wayanad, Kerala. Covering the southern region, the two-day event witnessed participation from inspiring speakers and tribal communities from the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

The first in its series, the two-day conclave was based on the theme ‘Aspirations of Tribal Youth & Leadership for Future’ which saw 120 participants from 28 tribal communities attending discussions on preserving traditional wisdom and knowledge, social challenges in the tribal society, tribal education and livelihoods, gender issues, serving as an ideal platform for the tribal population to present their views and exchange ideas. Seeking to address issues faced by the rural population, the event was held in association with MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF). With the aim of promoting community based interventions, the Foundation focuses specifically on tribal and rural communities and seeks to address practical problems faced by rural populations in agriculture, food and nutrition.

“Living closely with and in harmony with nature, all tribal people are natural scientists. According to Prof Swaminathan, every child is a scientist. So all other communities can actually learn from tribal communities. That's where this Samvaad, which has been conceived by Tata Steel, plays an important role.” said, Dr.V Balakrishnan. Head, MSSRF 

“Tribals have lot to offer to the world. The world can learn from tribal communities how to live. It is for that reason that youth from the tribal communities must come together and take up leadership positions to preserve sustainable wisdom and practices." added, Biren Bhuta, Chief, CSR, Tata Steel.

Highlighting topics related to a sustainable livelihood, Dr. V. Balakrishnan, Head, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Wayanad; Dr. Balasubhramaniam, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, Mysore; Dr. Girigan Gopi, Principal Scientist, MSSRF; V. Keshavan, Tribal Leader/Devasam Board Member were among the key speakers who shared their views at the conclave. To add to this, cultural performances including tribal songs and dance performances were also a part of the two-day event.

The second regional-level Samvaad is being arranged in partnership with Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, India (AKRSP) at Netrang, Gujarat on 9th, 10th September ’17 and will witness participation from states across West India.

About Tata Steel: Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 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 Programmer, 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 Euthyphro Institute (2016), IIM Sustainability Award (2015), among several others.

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Kulvin Suri
Chief, Corporate Communications, India & SEA
Tata Steel