Tribal Extravaganza Of 11-Days Comes To A Vibrant End

The Adivasi Exhibition Ground in Unit I was converted into a mini tribal hamlet and “haat” for a whole eleven days starting from Republic Day.

The Adivasi Mela was a colourful sociocultural event that portrayed the tribal life, language, agricultural diversity, women’s empowerment within the tribe, preservation and promotion of culture, and employment opportunities in Odisha.

On February 5, prize distributions for deserving students from SSD schools and winners of other state-level competitions and categories marked the vibrant conclusion of the festival.

The annual tribal fair this year featured a three-day multilingual theatrical festival as one of its main attractions. The festival featured plays that promoted multiculturalism and social awareness in the Santali, Desia, Ho, and Mundari languages. It highlighted the importance of mother language-based education and its sponsorship in the State and served as an engaging side event during the World Odia Language Conference in Temple City.

Ten tribal houses, seven of which represented Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and three of which represented other tribal tribes, were among the two other main attractions. In addition, by exhibiting dances by 40 troupes from different tribal communities—among the 62 located throughout the region—the event created a stunning tapestry of tribal culture.

Over 10 lakh people attended this year’s much-anticipated Adivasi Mela, which is an annual festival organised by the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development, Minorities, and Backward Classes Welfare Department. A substantial amount of business was conducted during the occasion, exceeding Rs 5 crore.

ST/SC Development, Minorities, and Backward Classes Welfare and Law Minister Jagannath Saraka; Advisor, Special Development Council (SDC), Pradeep Majhi; Advisor, ST/SC Caste Development, Sarojini Hembram; Advisor, Minority Affairs, Tahera Khatun; Advisor, Backward Classes Affairs, Pruthviraj Sahoo and Advisor, Anwesha and Akankhya Scheme, Elina Dash attended the valedictory function of the Mela.

Other senior department officials were also present, along with Commissioner-cum-Secretary ST, SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department Roopa Roshan Sahoo , Member Secretary Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture Indramani Tripathy and Managing Director Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Limited Dr Poma Tudu, who joined as guests of honour.

The last day featured a wide range of prize distributions on stage.  In her closing remarks, Sahoo said, “Odisha is bestowed with a rich tribal legacy of 13 PVTGs and there are many dialects in use besides the overall 62 tribal communities. We are working dedicatedly towards their holistic development, cultural conservation and welfare so that the State will have a distinct honour across the globe for the achievement.”

Notably, Roopa Roshan Sahoo has always been working for the development of minorities and preservation of tribal culture. She has been a core person in implementing Samhati programme which addresses language barriers faced by tribal students. The Adivasi Mela 2024 with its successful wind up has surely helped in the promotion of Tribal Culture, Heritage and Richness.