New Delhi, Nov 14 — The two-day National Tribal Literary Festival, organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, highlighted the need for preserving India's rich tribal literary traditions and connecting indigenous knowledge and oral narratives with contemporary literary expression, an official said on Saturday.
Organised as part of the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas celebrations, the festival concluded on Friday, after serving as a platform for tribal writers, poets, researchers, linguists and scholars from across the country under the theme 'From Oral Tradition to Contemporary Tribal Literature'.
In line with the Prime Minister's vision of inclusive development and guided by the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' and 'Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi', the National Tribal Literary Festival reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to bringing indigenous literary voices into the national discourse and ensuring that India's tribal literary heritage remains an integral part of the journey towards 'Viksit Bharat@2047', the official said in a statement.
Ranjana Chopra, Ministry of Tribal Affairs Secretary, emphasised the need to create sustainable platforms for promoting tribal literature, supporting authors writing in indigenous languages and connecting them with publishers and wider readerships.
She highlighted Living Roots Originals, an initiative developed in collaboration with the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) to recognise and protect the creative rights of tribal musicians and performers.
She also highlighted the Ministry's initiative to facilitate a dedicated section for tribal literature at the National Book Trust's forthcoming book fair at Pragati Maidan, providing tribal authors and publishers an opportunity to showcase their works and reach wider audiences.
K. Srinivasa Rao, former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi, summarised the two-day festival, highlighting the representation of 27 languages, including 23 tribal languages.
He emphasised that tribal literature is an integral part of India's cultural heritage and underscored the need for its greater inclusion in university curricula, translation initiatives and mainstream publishing platforms to ensure wider recognition and dissemination.
The concluding day featured thematic discussions on oral epics and heroic traditions, the contribution of indigenous knowledge to multilingual education, and readings by emerging tribal writers and poets.
The sessions highlighted how stories, songs, epics and poetry continue to preserve the collective memory, cultural identity and lived experiences of tribal communities.
Ganesh Nagarajan, Deputy Secretary of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, highlighted the significant expansion of the Ministry's cultural, linguistic and livelihood initiatives over the past year.