Samvaad – A Tribal Conclave, is Tata Steel Foundation’s initiative that seeks to revive, preserve and promote tribal culture.
Samvaad, since 2014, has emerged as an ecosystem for tribal identity which (a) brings together tribes of India and beyond for constructive dialogue, (b) enables key elements of tribal identity to thrive and be fed into this dialogue, and (c) fosters an international peer group which drives positive change.
It has already brought together more than 30,000 women, men, and children from 157 tribes across 25 states and 5 Union Territories of India and 17 other countries in an impartial contemplation of the tribal development narrative, balanced with an unstinted celebration of tribal culture, wisdom, and way of life. Samvaad is rooted in the belief that the answer to the most vexing challenges faced by the planet today rests within the tribal way of life.
The ecosystem, each year, is pivoted around a specific theme. The themes have matured from being domain-specific (tribal languages, tribal healing practices et al) to being broad points of convergence (tribalism today, coming together for social change et al) which set the context as well as resonate with a large participant base.
Samvaad 2021 is being convened around the central theme of ‘Reimagine.’
The theme recognizes that we are at a point of inflection like never before when the world is recalibrating its understanding as well as the vision of the future and what it portends for today. These are times when the conventional is challenged but wisdom respected, technology is expanding horizons but millions remain beyond, and the planet and its people are reimagining what they stand for.
Samvaad 2021 hopes to embark on a deeper, patient, and representative exploration of what this reimagination means for tribal communities, what should be the legitimate place of tribal communities in the process and outcomes of reimagination for the entire planet, does the tribal way of life need reimagination and how does reimagination done well look like?
“We will have some outstanding voices, thinkers, and doers from over 150 tribes of India and beyond join us from November 2021 onwards in this exploration through the Samvaad 2021 journey. We hope to listen, learn, and be authentic with each other, together and reimagine a world that has the power to create lasting change.”, Tata Steel said.
SAMVAAD Teaser:
