1-Dec-2021: Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in 10 States

On the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, 75th year of celebrations of Indian Independence, Ministry of Tribal Affairs has asked all the State Governments and State Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) to compile the list of tribal freedom fighters, who struggled against the foreign colonial government.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum in 10 States, including Manipur, under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of ’Support to Tribal Research Institutes’ to acknowledge the contribution of the tribals who struggled against the British colonial Government. As a mark of acknowledging the role of the tribal freedom fighters, the foundation stone of a Tribal Freedom Fighter Museum at Tamenglong District has been laid in Manipur in the name of eminent tribal freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu, who fearlessly fought against the colonial Government for the rights of tribal people.

29-Jul-2021: 10 Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum sanctioned to acknowledge the heroic and patriotic deeds of tribal people

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is administrating the schemes of “Support of Tribal Research Institute” and “Tribal Festival, Research, Information and Mass Education” under which various activities to promote tribal culture are undertaken as below:

1. Research studies/publication of books/documentation including audio visual documentaries on promotion of rich tribal cultural heritage.
2. Tribal cultural exchange programmes.
3. Research and documentation of Indigenous practices by tribal healers and medicinal plants, Adivasi Languages, agriculture system, dances and paintings etc.
4. To acknowledge the heroic and patriotic deeds of tribal people, Ministry has sanctioned setting up 10 Tribal Freedom Fighters Museum. These museums will also exhibit rich tribal cultural heritage of the region.
5. To preserve and promote rich tribal cultural heritage and also to create awareness among others, a searchable digital repository has been developed where all research papers, books, reports and documents, folks songs, photos/videos with their metadata are uploaded The repository currently has more than 10,000 photographs, videos and publications which are mostly done by TRIs. The repository can be visited at repository.tribal.gov.in.
6. Ministry gives funding to TRIFED for organizing Adi Mahotsav festival at National level and state level. State level festivals like Hornbill festival of Nagaland, Pawl-kut festival of Mizoram, Medaram Jatra of Telangana are funded through TRI.
7. TRIFED organizes Tribal Artisan Melas (TAMs) to identify new artisans and new products at the sourcing level in States/Districts/Villages for expanding the tribal producers base.

National Tribal Festival/Aadi Mahotsav was held from 1st February to 15th February, 2021 at Dilli Haat INA, New Delhi. The main feature of the festival was exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewellery, cuisine, folk performances, medicine healers and much more through 200 stalls. In this Mahotsav 458 tribal artisans, artists and chefs from 25 States of the country participated.

11-Aug-2020: M/O Tribal Affairs Setting up Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums to give due Recognition to Sacrifices and Contribution to Country’s Freedom Struggle by Tribal People

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is developing “Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museums” dedicated to the contributions of the Tribal people in India to the freedom struggle pursuant to Prime Minister’s announcement in his Independence Day Speech on15thAugust 2016, regarding setting up tribal freedom fighters’ museums.  The Prime Minister in his address said, “The Government desires and is planning permanent museums in the States where Tribals lived, struggled against the British and refused to be bowed down. The Government will work to make such museums in different States so that the coming generations may know how our tribals were far ahead in making sacrifices”.

As per the directions of the Prime Minister, all the museums will have strong usage of technologies like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), 3D/7D holographic projections etc.

These museums will trace the history along the trails, along which the tribal people in hills and forests fought for their right to live and will, therefore, combine ex situ display with in situ conservation, regeneration initiatives. These will be museums, objects as well as ideas. These will demonstrate the way tribal struggles for protecting their custodial concerns for the biological and cultural diversity of the country, have helped in nation building.

Ministry of Tribal Affairs further held a series of consultations with States in this regard. A National Level Committee (NLC) under the Chairpersonship of Secretary, M/o Tribal Affairs was constituted to appraise and approve the proposals including monitoring of progress. Meetings were held with the State Governments on numerous occasions to discuss the concept and design of the proposed museums. State government officials were given exposure visit to Virasat-e-Khalsa museum, Punjab and Manav Sangrahalaya at Bhopal to acquaint them with designing of museum in sync with storyline and use of technology. After detailed analysis, it was decided to construct a state-of-the-art Tribal freedom fighters’ Museum of national importance in Gujarat. Ministry has also approved setting up museums for tribal freedom fighters in other eight States so far.

Out of 9 sanctioned tribal freedom fighters’ museums, two museums are near completion and remaining seven are at different stages of progress. It is expected that by the end of 2022 all the museums will come into existence. Further new museums will be sanctioned in coming future in collaboration with the States.

States where Tribal Freedom Fighters’ Museum have been sanctioned are as follows:

History of freedom fighters in India has recorded scores of instances of unequal battles that became inevitable when imperialist forces came out with their quest for acquiring territories through the use of brute force, destroying the sovereignty and freedom of free people and bringing in the process a holocaust to the lives of innumerable men, women and children. It is a battle between the evil designs of expansionism and the powerful instinct of self-presentation. Tribals have resisted the British authority and other exploiters. For many centuries, tribals were isolated, scattered in forests. Each tribe has established its own socio cultural diversity. They launched movements against the British authority in their respective regions. Their agitations against the outsiders could be called anti-colonial. They revolted against them because of their exploitation in the form of encroachment on their land, eviction from their land, annulment of the traditional legal and social rights and customs, against enhancement of rent, for transfer of land to the tiller, abolition of feudal and semi-feudal form of ownership. On the whole, these movements had social and religious overtone. But they were directed against the issues related to their existence. Tribal Resistance Movement was an integral part of Freedom movement of India. In this historic struggle, the heroic role played by many distinguished tribal leaders like Birsa Munda, Rani Gaidinliu, Laxman Naik, and Veer Surendra Sai and many others.

The most dominant characteristic of the tribal resistance movement was that it was essentially an uprising against the foreign rulers and in that sense could be constructed to be the precursor of the national liberation movement which took a definite shape and gathered momentum under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. It is immaterial as to what were the compulsions or motivations behind this resistance movement; it is immaterial if the tribal revolutionaries had no formal education and training in staging armed rebellions and had no common leadership to guide and spur them to action. The unmistakable fact remains that they could no longer meekly submit to the intervention of the foreign rulers in their habitat, age old customs, rituals and cultural moors. They acted as the stooges of the imperial power and all their action and conduct were directed at uprooting the foundations of the foreign rule.

16-Nov-2021: Ministry of Tribal Affairs is organizing Iconic Week in memory of great unsung tribal heroes who sacrificed their lives and contributed to nation building

Government of India, has announced 15th November, the Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ to pay tribute to the sacrifices and contributions of tribal freedom fighters and for preservation of cultural heritage and promotion of Indian values of valour, hospitality and national pride.

A large number of activities are being organized during the week-long celebrations from 15th to 22nd November in various parts of the country to mark the Iconic Week to remember the great unsung tribal heroes who have sacrificed their lives and contributed to nation building. ST & SC Development Department, Government of Odisha has also planned week long celebrations starting from 15th November to 22nd November 2021 to celebrate and commemorate the glorious history of tribal people, culture and achievements as part of the overall commemorative initiatives under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

As a part of the nationwide celebration of the Iconic Week of Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda (15th – 22nd November 2021), SCSTRTI (TRI, Odisha), ST & SC Development Department, Government of Odisha with support of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India organised a National Webinar (Virtual Mode) on ‘Contributions of Bhagwan Birsa Munda for the Struggle of India’s Independence’ on 15th November 2021, the Birth Anniversary of Birsa Munda.

The Inaugural session of the national webinar was graced by Shri Jagannath Saraka, Minister, ST & SC Development, Govt. of Odisha; Smt Ranjana Chopra; Principal Secretary ST & SC Development, Govt. of Odisha and Dr. Navaljeet Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India and Prof. Vijay S Sahay, Professor (Emeritus), Former Head Department of Anthropology, University of Allahabad .

Shri Jagannath Saraka, in his address mentioned that the tribal communities have enriched the country’s cultural heritage, through their exquisite art and craft. They have played a leading role in promotion, protection and conservation of the environment through their traditional practices. There are many tribal rebellions (about 85) which have taken place against the British Raj to restore Independence and many tribals have been martyred in the process. He congratulated SCSTRTI, ST & SC Development Department, Govt. of Odisha to have organised the National Webinar in collaboration with Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India on November 15, the birth anniversary of Saheed Bhagwan Birsa Munda which has been declared as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas by Government of India.

Dr. Navaljeet Kapoor, Joint Secretary Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India stated that as a part of the year-long commemoration of 75 years of Independence, ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’ the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi has announced to commemorate 15th November, the Birth Anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’ to remember the contributions of tribal freedom fighters. He mentioned that the webinar will provide a platform for sharing of the great valour and courage of the tribal freedom fighters and carve out ways to protect, preserve and promote the culture and heritage of the tribal communities.

Smt Ranjana Chopra  highlighted that this National Webinar has been organised as a mark of tribute to the great tribal freedom leader. The seminar and follow up activities will go a long way in unravelling many hidden truths and bring to light the contributions of  Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

Prof. (Dr) A.B Ota, Advisor cum Director & Special Secretary, SCSTRTI welcomed the participants and said that. Birsa Munda was a young freedom fighter and tribal leader whose spirit of activism is remembered as a strong mark of protest against British rule in India. The Webinar will highlight his great sacrifice and struggle, he added.

The Webinar had technical sessions on contributions of Bhagwan Birsa Munda to India’s struggle for Independence. Prof. Vijay S Sahay, Professor (Emeritus), Former Head of Department of Anthropology, University of Allahabad gave the Keynote Address on ‘The making of Bhagwan Birsa Munda Cult: Journey of a Tribal Hero from Agrarian Movement to War of Independence’ during the inaugural session.

Eminent personalities and academicians like Prof. Kishore Kumar Basa, Vice Chancellor, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada, Odisha, Prof. Sumahan Bandyopadhyay Professor, Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Gunjal Ikir Munda, Coordinator of Spoken Mundari Language Classes at Ranchi, Jharkhand, Dr. Satya Narayan Munda, Former Vice Chancellor, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi participated as panelists in the technical session which was chaired by Prof. Vijay Sahay, Former Head of Department of Anthropology, University of Allahabad.

The webinar had participation of more than 1000 representatives from Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs), Centre of Excellences (CoEs), eminent personalities, academicians, researchers, practitioners from across the country working on tribal culture and development.