Day 3 of Samvaad witnesses enchanting performances by indigenous communities

~Visitors get first-hand experience of traditional healing practices and tribal craftsmanship~

The third day of Samvaad had Dapon (a theatre band of people with dwarfism) and Da Shugs enthral the audience with their performance.

Dapon tribe from Assam performed a play called Kinu Kow. Da-Shugs band from Ladakh regaled the audiences with folk rock performance. It is a music band which aims to preserve and revive the folk music of the tribes of Ladakh. Da' in Ladakhi means sound and 'Shugs' means force or energy. The members are also the founding members of Musical Society of Ladakh (MSL). Their songs describe the winter scenic beauty and the picturesque sights of Ladakh.

At Samvaad 2022, a model of Nakshatra Van has been set up in order to represent traditional knowledge and discover the traditional healer’s indigenous medicinal know-how. 

Sourav Roy, CEO, Tata Steel Foundation said “The healing techniques involved in tribal health practices encompasses a range of holistic treatments that not only conditions the body but also nourishes the spiritual wellbeing. At Samvaad, we aim to bring together tribal healers and facilitate platforms for awareness creation and paving way for tribal healing practices into present day health systems. The coming together has called for patient listening emanating from the ground-up conversations at the various sessions being hosted on diverse aspects of tribal healing practices”. 

Enchanting music and cultural performances by indigenous communities of West Bengal, Ladakh, Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra engaged the connoisseurs of tribal culture today on Day 3 of Samvaad at Gopal Maidan.  

Warli tribe from Maharashtra performed two dance forms, Ghor/Tipri and Gauri dance normally performed during Deepawali and Ganesh Chaturthi respectively. People from the community visit and invite guests to their homes and perform this dance to celebrate the occasion. Warli are famous for their paintings. They speak Warli language, a dialect of Marathi. They worship nature.

Next to regale the audiences were Lepcha Tribe from Sikkim, who performed Chyu Fast folk dance depicting the worship of mountains, hills and knolls. In accordance to the Lepchas of Mayel-Lyang (Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and places where Lepchas reside) the mountains, hills and the knolls are of great significance in terms of religion. The presentation shows the hard work at sowing and clearing the field as the harvest ripens, celebrating their success and plentiful bounty. 

Group of Rathwa tribes performed colourful and energetic dance filled with enthusiasm Rathwa-ni-gher usually performed during Holi festival. The tribe is concentrated along the borders of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. This agrarian tribe has a tradition of worshipping their Kul-Devi.

Gond from Telangana performed Dandari-Gusadi dance form usually performed during Deepawali and post-harvest season. The Raj Gond and Kolams belong to the northernmost districts of Telangana.  The festival transforms all the Gond villages of northern Telangana into celebratory amphi-theatres during the festival.

Siddhi tribe from Gujarat performed Dhamal, a unique holy dance. The Siddhi’s are an ethnic community belonging to Junagarh district of Gujarat. They are also found in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Siddhi’s trace back their origin to Africa. Dhamal is a unique holy dance of the Siddhi community traditionally performed to avoid natural calamities (Badha as they say) such as droughts, heavy rains or endemics. The men colour their faces and wear garments made either of leaves or peacock feathers.

Mahali tribe from West Bengal performed Jhumer dance and song. The Mahali tribes traditionally meet the demands of their sustenance mainly by selling items made of bamboo.  

Samvaad, a one-of-its kind pan-India tribal conclave organised by Tata Steel Foundation unfolded on November 15 with homage to Bir Birsa Munda, India’s most widely revered tribal icon. The inaugural function witnessed the reverberating beats of 501 nagadas and unveiling of the Jawa amid much fanfare.

Samvaad, a Signature Programme on Tribal Identity, is in its 9th edition this year, scheduled between November 15 to 19. Reconvening offline after the pandemic years, Samvaad 2022 is hosting over 2000 people representing about 200 tribes, including 27 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) from 23 states and 4 Union Territories. 

Day-4 Highlights @Gopal Maidan, Bistupur

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Tribal Art & Handicrafts (9:30 AM-12:30 PM & 6:00 PM-9:00 PM)

Tribal Healing Practices (9:30AM-1:00 PM & 3:00 PM-9:00 PM)

Tribal Cuisine (6:00 PM-9:00 PM)

Cultural Celebrations (6:00 PM-9:00 PM)

About Tata Steel Foundation:

Tata Steel Foundation (the Foundation), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Steel Limited, was incorporated on August 16, 2016 under Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013. The Foundation operates across 4,500 villages in the states of Jharkhand and Odisha through a 600-member team reaching over a million lives annually. The Foundation is focused upon co-creating solutions, with tribal and excluded communities, to address their development challenges. During this process of co- creation, the Foundation endeavours to develop and implement change models that are replicable at a national scale, enable significant and lasting betterment in the well-being of communities proximate to the Company’s operating locations and embed a societal perspective in key business decisions.

To know more about Samvaad, visit samvaad.tatasteelfoundation.org 

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Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.