Samvaad aims to create a common platform for tribal communities to come together, which, we believe, is worth doing by itself. To bring collective wisdom under one roof to stimulate a valuable exchange and cross-pollination of ideas.
It seeks to document and preserve a body of knowledge and a worldview that runs the risk of being obliterated. To understand issues and the angst of tribal communities, and sensitize all on the same, thereby generating empathy and understanding while removing prejudices.
It seeks to highlight models that have worked, solutions that can be migrated, and the success stories of individuals and organizations that can inspire others and create a sense of hope and positivity.
This year, we aimed to bring communities closer to understand the need to reimagine a future that enables long-term change, codesigning new solutions and embracing the role of the tribal way of life to drive transformations and come up with a collective voice that resonates with all.
The central theme for Samvaad
Samvaad 2021 hopes to reflect on what tribal communities envision their future to be, in the theme for this year, ‘Reimagine.’ This year, we aim to bring communities closer to understand the need to reimagine a future that enables long-term change, codesigning new solutions and embrace the role of the tribal way of life to drive transformations and come up with a collective voice that resonates with all. We seek to harness the Samvaad platform and take the time to listen, learn, and be authentic with each other, together, and reimagine a world that has the power to create lasting change.
Samvaad this year proposed how it is important to hold on to the roots while one re-envisions a future. A future that we all will be proud of as a collective consciousness. We realized through the dialogues how we need to preserve our music, language, and other elements to ensure we have something for our future existence and generations to look forward and hold on to. Elements that are quintessential to the tribal identities should be taken as an important tool to re-establish themselves in the larger forum, this is the takeaway from the four days of Samvaad- Akhra, 2021.
Participants of Samvaad
Samvaad 2021 brought 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 5 union territories in India who logged in to the dialogue remotely, in a bridgital format.
Eminent speakers from across the country participated in the dialogue to expound on the given questions that broke open new avenues of discourse. It was particularly interesting to note how each of the speakers envisioned the concept of reimagination quintessential to their tribal identity and lived experiences.
The online setup combined Webex platforms for interaction and YouTube for public viewership, which was complemented by 110 community screenings by our extended Samvaad family, which allowed those who do not have access to devices or networks to also be part of the conclave.
The journey of Samvaad
Samvaad, since 2014, has emerged as an ecosystem that brings together tribes of India and beyond for constructive dialogue. It enables key elements of tribal identity to thrive, be celebrated and fed into the dialogue and fosters a youth peer group that drives positive change. It has brought together more than 30,000 women, men and children from 157 tribes across 25 states and five Union Territories of India and 17 countries, who have reinstated faith in the Samvaad ecosystem, time and again, in impartial contemplation of tribal narratives, balanced with a celebration of rich tribal culture, music, folklore and beyond.
This ecosystem, each year, is held together by an underlying theme that is contextual and resonant for dialogue throughout the year and the five-day annual event held during November. The theme has matured from specific domains like tribal languages, leadership, and culture, healing practices among others, leading to broader pivots of conversations on Tribalism Today and Coming Together for Social Change.
Continuing the dialogue: We are at the cusp of a decade that is ever-changing and, at this juncture, a lot is being reimagined including the future and what it portends for today. A new agenda for change is emerging and is raising questions that will not go away. In this context, Samvaad 2021 hopes to reflect on what tribal communities envision their future to be, in the theme for this year, ‘Reimagine.’
Activities and events that would be conducted in Samvaad
Samvaad 2021 hosted a plethora of activities, covering every aspect of the tribal lives.
Samvaad Conclave (Akhra), brought together over 4,500 women, children and men from tribes of India and beyond in an online format, to foster dialogue on their perspectives and challenges, and celebrate their way of life.
Not left behind were the Tribal Healers whose wisdom in tribal medicine will be revisited to explore and promote traditional ways of healing. This year, the effort was to formally instate the National Tribal Healers’ Association.
For the first time, 23 tribal artisans across 11 tribes in India came together and developed art on seven canvases. The subjects on the canvas will include Jal, jungle, Zameen; Nuptial knots, Underwater wonders, Feathers of Joy, Tree of Unit, Sarhul Shenanigans and Mutthi me Shakti.
Tribal Cuisine brought the unique opportunity of interfacing with tribal food and fusion recipes through curated lunch, online food offering and cooking experiences. The cuisine experience was curated by 48 home chefs across 11 tribes and 9 states in India.
The event Samudaay Ke Saath used the power of cinema to highlight the cultural identity, wisdom and also foster an alternative perspective on development surrounding tribal communities.
