“Vanaj”- National Tribal Festival- 2015 Signed off with a Promise to Meet Again
The first National Tribal Festival “VANAJ”-2015 today signed off with a promise to meet again next year. The festival ended after a series of weeklong colorful presentations especially depicting the spring time tribal festivals of Phagu,Phagua and Phagun Parab. It exhibited ‘the unseen aspects of tribal life and also gave an opportunity to the people of Delhi to appreciate the rich and diverse tribal culture. The festival also show cased India’s unique Tribal culture, art, painting, music, dance, tribal medicine, tribal food, and a special attraction- tribal cuisine.
Present on the occasion was Minister of State for Rural Development, Shri Sudarshan Bhagat, Shri Hrushikesh Panda, Secretary M/o Tribal Affairs and senior officers from the Tribal Affairs Ministry. Appreciating the presentations, the minister emphasized the importance of such festivities and stressed for paying more attention on their problems and emphasised that suitable developmental policies need to implemented in this regard. He said such festivities are an apt platform for the amalgamation of the diverse cultural heritage of our country.
During the six day long show, in addition to the dance performances, following documentary films –Lodha: A Sylvan Community, Prakriti ki Santan: Missing, Participation of Women in Gram Sabha, Gujjar, For a Dorbar of the People, I cannot give you my forest, Pradhan:Son of the Soil and Jharkhand ke Gaurav:Chero were screened. Seminars on traditional tribal knowledge, wisdom and skill, tribal folklore and oral traditions, traditional tribal medicines and healing system, traditional tribal food & crops and Contemporisation were organised with a purpose of paying attention on tribal’s life, their problems and possible ways of their overall development.
The awards for the 5th and 6th National Level Photographic Competition held during the year 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively for the themes “Artists’ at work” and “Tribal Festivals and Sports of India” were presented on this occasion.
The closing function also witnessed colourful dances from the participating states.
*****
ST/rs