Ranchi
With Scheduled Tribes constituting over 26 percent of the State’s population, Jharkhand is yet again gearing up to observe the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples with much pomp and show. The State government observes August 9 as a State holiday.
The official two-day function will be held at the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Memorial Park or the old Birsa Munda Central Jail, where the tribal icon died in captivity. Tribal artistes from all over the country have been requested to participate. A Book Fair, Food Festival and live demonstrations of Soharai and Dokra Arts will be the main attractions. The interested ones will be getting opportunities to learn these art forms from experts.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who reviewed the progress of the preparations on Tuesday, has directed officials to ensure that the event has no shortcomings right from the seating of the guests and visitors to its grandeur. He instructed the officials to ensure Jharkhand’s rich cultural heritage is on full display even as he issued a specific direction that no plant or tree gets harmed at the Park during the event. He also called for giving priority to local artistes in the events lined up for the occasion.
For their part, social outfits championing the cause of tribals are also buoyed to celebrate the occasion.
To begin with, the Indigenous Welfare Society will be taking out a motorcycle rally. The Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Morhabadi Ground will be the starting and finishing points. The rallyists will be touring different parts of the State capital to evoke mass consciousness on tribal languages, culture, skill development, et al. They will also be submitting separate memorandums to governments in the State and the Centre, demanding concrete measures to safeguard the interests of the Adivasis.
“Now, food and employment is more important for the tribals. It is difficult to say whether the ongoing skill development schemes have really benefitted them. Financial aids are very important for the sustenance of skilled ones too,” argued Society’s president Amar Nath Lakra.
Jharkhandi Bhasha Sahitya Sanskriti Akhra general secretary Vandana Tete informed that her organization will be leading campaigns to evoke mass consciousness on Traditional and Constitutional rights of the tribals. She argued that the tribals in the State were still not able to strike a balance between their ‘inherited and acquired’ rights.
A number of other tribal outfits too will be celebrating the occasion even as they demand the Governments to make the Adivasis self-sufficient in the real sense of the term. Special drives to evoke mass consciousness in this regard is one of their planned events.
