Over 1500participantsfrom 183 tribal communities across India and 12 other countries come together for 5 days

~The 6^th edition of the uniqueplatform that celebrates tribalism will see participants from 25 states in India and 12 countries ~

The 6^th edition of Tata Steel’s Samvaad, was inaugurated today at the Gopal Maidan. As has been the tradition, the inaugural function witnessed the beats of 151 nagadasand unveiling of the Jawaamid much fanfare, today.

The inauguration function began with homage to tribal icon Birsa Munda. Eminent personalities in the social development space including Patricia Mukhim - Meghalaya, Anna Kujur - Odisha, Agnes Kharsiing - Mehgalaya, DeshmathHansda - Jharkhand, Ganesh Patpingua - Jharkhand, BayaMankadia - Odisha, Dr.Ngu Edward - Caneroon, Daniela - Brazil, John Huckle Australia, Nee Kesias - Chad Republic, Navali - Rajasthan, Girija - Kerela, Ritu Pendaram – Chattisgarh,  TsewamgNurboo -  Ladakh, Martha Morales - Mexico, Darcel- Trinidad & Tobago, participated in the function.

Mr.Suresh Dutt Tripathi, Vice President (HRM), Tata Steel and Mr. Avneesh Gupta, Vice President Shared Services, Tata Steel and other senior executives from Tata Steel were present. Mr Tripathi formally declared the Conclave ‘open’.

Samvaad, a unique and powerful platform created by Tata Steel’s Corporate Social Responsibility, seeks to provide a platform for discourse on tribalism in India in a move to bring leaders and members from tribal communities under one roof. Tribal thoughts and voices are expressed in various forms like discourses, research papers, music, cuisine collaborations— even documentaries. Over the next four days, over 1500 participants representing 183 tribes from 25 states in India and 12 countries would come together to share their ideas, thoughts and perspectives on developmental challenges in India and beyond around the theme “Tribalism Today”.

Participants have come for Samvaad 2019 from states across the country including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Ladakh, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. In addition, 12 Resource Persons and other international participants, have come from Chad, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Uganda, South Africa, Cameroon, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Australia, USA.

During the five-day event, participants from various tribalcommunities would showcase Tribal Healers’ workshop, Immersive Experience in Tribal Art and Craft, Tribal Medicinal Haat- amongst otheractivities. The visitors can also fulfill their taste buds by visiting the food stalls, which will serve traditional tribal cuisine items, mostly organic in nature.

Ahead of the main event that today kicked off in Jamshedpur, regional editions of Samvaad were held earlier this year  across Coorg, Kalahandi, Itanagar, Gadchiroli, Gumla, Jhabua and Kharagpur.

Coming Highlights of Day#2 of Samvaad:

November 16, 2018

• Reflections: Soul searching
• Learning from incredible tales of struggle and success
• Theme for the Day
• Fostering a shared perspective
• Contemplations
• Different systems of medicines
• Tribal healers’ experience

About Samvaad
‘Samvaad’ is a platform for the tribes to exchange ideas, thoughts and share their concerns It was instituted by Tata Steel as a tribal conclave in 2014, where more than 1500 tribal representatives from across the country showcased their cultural heritage and the novel experience of tribal life.

Samvaad encourages tribal communities to take the lead in initiating discourse on issues that govern their social sustenance and development. Samvaad is now fast growing as an eco-system where tribal thoughts and voices manifest in various forms – be it a discourse, a work of research, music, food and cuisine collaboration or even documentaries. The concept of regional Samvaad was initiated in 2016 with the objective of reaching out to more tribal communities in the hinterland and factor unheard voices therein.