A four-day conclave, attended by over 1,500 tribals from 20 states and aimed at bringing languages and ways of living of the Indian tribals to the mainstream, commenced in Jamshedpur on Sunday.
The 'Samvaad: A tribal conclave' coincides with the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda -- an iconic Jharkhand folk hero who fought for the rights of tribals over forests and lands -- and Jharkhand's formation day.
Organised by Tata Steel, the event witnessed delegates representing 40 indigenous tribes like the Santal community of Jharkhand, Siddis of Gujarat, Irulas of Kerala, Bodos from Assam, Dhurwa tribe of Odisha, Karubas from Karnataka and Konda Reddis from Andhra Pradesh, among others.
"The conclave is to bring to the mainstream the languages, ways of living and identity of the tribals in our country. Corporates have a need to understand the issues of tribal groups as community is a big stakeholder for any corporate," said TV Narendran, managing director of Tata Steel India and South East Asia.
There would be a range of panel discussions on "Threatened tribal languages", "Have we failed our tribal communities?" and others apart from the showcasing of tribal cultures through dance, music, art and cuisine during the conclave.
