Three years ago, Donel Ajai Courtney came to Bastar for the first time as a tourist after his mother told him about the tribal heartland in Chhattisgarh. Now this 33-year-old lawyer in the United States runs a ‘Dhurwa patasala’, a unique school that aims to protect and revive the tribal Dhurwa dialect and the community’s fading culture and traditions. Every Sunday afternoon, more than 35 children and a few elders...
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Indian village may hold key to beating dementia by Jane Hughes
Ballabgarh in northern India has unusually low levels of Alzheimer's disease. More than 820,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, a number that is expected to double by 2051. Is there anything that can be learnt from this region to slow the trend? As the sun breaks through the morning mist in Ballabgarh, the elders of the village make their way to their regular meeting spot to exchange stories...
More »With Boa die tribe & tongue by Tapas Chakraborty
Boa Senior had been lonely the last few years of her life. When she died last week, she was no longer alone — she took her tribe and language with her. The 85-year-old, who had survived the December 2004 tsunami, was the last member of the Bo tribe and the last speaker of the Bo language, one of the 10 Great Andamanese languages. With her death, her tribe has become extinct and...
More »Being Remo by Debarshi Dasgupta
For the Bonda tribals of Orissa, a constant struggle is on—with state and custom The inside of the thatched hut is pitch dark. Blinded by the harsh sun, the eyes take a while to identify the people inside. Slowly you see outlines taking shape. There’s a woman pounding grains on the floor and a baby near her playing with the grains. When they step out, you realise how malnourished the...
More »Child marriages continue in Kodakarai by P Arivanantham
KODAKARAI (KRISHNAGIRI): Awareness programmes and action against the perpetrators have not been able to put an end to child marriage in Kodakarai, a village situated on a hill in Denkanikottai taluk. “Girl students are prevented from going to school on attaining puberty and marriage is conducted. This is our tradition,” says Rudrappa, village elder. “We couldn’t give education to girls due to various factors. Girl students can study up to Std....
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