The prestigious tribal conclave Samvaad 2021, organised by Tata Steel Foundation (TSF), is becoming a popular hub for story tellers under the category Samuday ke Saath. Participants are sharing ideas that are mesmiring with a human touch.
Dr. H. Carehome Pakayein, a tribal healer from Jowai, Meghalaya, also a qualified herbal medicinal practitioner has been treating people for the last 33 years. He converted 1.8 hectares of land into a herbal garden. “I have been providing treatment for various ailments, including cancer and also attend to the needy free of cost. I also teach in different universities as a guest faculty and have been ebstowed with several national and international awards. This is my fourth stint in Samvaad. It is a great platform to share ideas and TSF is really doing a great job to promote and preserve tribal identity and traditions,” he said while sharing his story.
Naren Hansda, a resident of Ayodhya hills in Bengal, is a teacher and is working for forest preservation. Inspired by a tribal song Jangal Mahal, which signifies the importance of forest, he decided to preserve forests. With the help of his students, he planted trees in over 45-acres of barren land. They felt that the Santhal culture is on the verge of extinction and needs to be preserved. "If there are no trees, then people will have to carry oxygen cylinders the way we carry water bottles. Many people objected to our work but we continued the mission with utmost passion. We are not paid for this, but with selfless devotion we started collecting seeds and planted trees wherever possible, he said.
Hansda motivates his students by crooning Jangal Mahal that says, "I am doing my bit and you should also do the same to protect our forest and our culture."
Deepa Pawar, managing trustee and founder-director, Anubhuti has been working in the field of social development for the last 20 years. Having started with women, when she was merely 14 herself, she has worked extensively with youth, communities, NGOs, colleges, as well as local and state governments on issues of gender, health, rights, leadership, mentoring, community development, sanitation and others across Maharashtra. Her campaigns have reached national and international stages.
She is a Samvaad 2020 Fellow – creating the first-ever book documenting Gadiya Lohar nomadic tribe’s iron weapon making. As a fellow of the Collective Impact Partnership and a Goalkeeper Youth Action Accelerator , her initiatives for preventing workplace sexual harassment and for youth mental health are recognised internationally. She is the Grand Prize winner in UC Berkeley’s Tell Her Story Contest 2018 and was a finalist in the CII Foundation’s Women Exemplar Award 2018. With a Masters in Social Work, she works as trainer and counsellor with the most vulnerable communities, as well as with government officials and corporates.
Md. Irshad, a chef from Taj Bengal is attending the event for the first time and is here to help the tribal chefs to present their cuisines. He claims he ahs mastered many traditional recipes which he would try to promote in thematic parties at Taj.
Amit Syiem from Meghalaya is a government servant and is here for the third time. “India is a land of culture and Samvaad is bringing everything together under one umbrella. It gave us an opportunity to introduce ourselves through our cooking and represent our culture and identity. It is like a family where we build relationships and learn from each other.” he said.
The annual event is bringing together 187 outstanding tribal artists, home chefs, healers, culture crusaders and leaders in person in Jamshedpur, along with more than 4,000 women, men and children from communities of 87 tribes across 25 states and five Union territories in India.
