Delhi: Freedom fighter Birsa Munda’s grandson inaugurates tribal festival Aadi Mahotsav

At the fifth edition of the Aadi Mahotsav in New Delhi.

Sukhram Munda added: “I am very happy to inaugurate this festival, and the announcement of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas, as a tribute to my grandfather, the great freedom fighter, Birsa Munda, who bravely fought against the tyranny of colonial rule. It also gives me great joy that the government is moving ahead with its vision to focus on empowering the tribals of our country and helping them attain better livelihood and education.”

Launched in 2017, the festival is aimed at familiarising people with the diverse crafts and culture of the tribal communities across India. “The idea is also to give big market access to the tribal producers. Deliberate effort is made to include as many categories of things as possible,” stated Pravir Krishna, TRIFED managing director. “The government is making efforts to ensure that these arts flourish,” he added.

The festival is aimed at familiarising people with the diverse crafts and culture of the tribal communities across India.

Participating in the event since its inception, national award-winning artist Rameswaram Munda stated: “Platforms like these help us connect with connoisseurs.” First timer at the event, gond artist Anil Tekam from Bhopal said: “I have come to other events at Delhi before but this seems to be at a bigger scale. During the last month, we specially created works keeping the festival in mind and hope to connect with buyers at the fair. It is also good to get feedback,” said Tekam.

Srinagar-based Tariq Ahmed Mir, who is at the festival with Kashmiri shawls and stoles, noted how Covid-19 has impacted business. “The sales have been affected by Covid, especially because there are hardly any tourists coming. We are solely dependent on domestic patronage.”

Also, a first-timer at the event in Delhi, president of Rajasthan-based Kamli Cooperative Society Radhika Ladha has embroidered products created by over 200 tribal women working in the cooperative. “People are again turning to traditional arts and things should look up from here. We never stopped production even during Covid, even though the sales were impacted briefly,” she said.

While several cultural programmes have been planned during the 15-day festival, workshops will also be held to discuss avenues for the promotion of tribal crafts.