Shri Arjun Munda, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, launched the virtual edition of Aadi Mahotsav- Madhya Pradesh on December 1. The 10-day long festival, commencing on December 1, 2020, is being hosted on the Tribes India website (www.tribesindia.com). The main focus is on the tribal craft and culture of Madhya Pradesh.

Salient Features

    • Aadi Mahotsav is a national tribal festival and a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).

    • Its - A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Crafts, Cuisine and Commerce – is a successful initiative that was commenced in 2017.

    • The festival was an attempt to familiarise the people with the rich and diverse craft, culture of the tribal communities across the country, in one place.

    • The ultimate objective of TRIFED is socio-economic development of tribal people in the country by way of marketing development of the tribal products.

    • Due to the pandemic this year, TRIFED has moved the event online and will be hosted on the Tribes India E-Marketplace (market.tribesindia.com).

    • Despite a population of around 10.5 crores, the tribal people are still away from main stream of economic development.

    • With the onboarding of more than 3500 tribal artisans on to the Tribes India Marketplace, this virtual event offers the tribals a new avenue for popularising their culture and arts and will go a long way in helping the economic situation of these tribal artisans and make them self-reliant.

    • The highlights of the virtual launch included a virtual tour of the artisans’ work place and glimpses of the tribal dance and music from Madhya Pradesh.

    • Tribes India e-market place is a noteworthy initiative that showcases the produce and handicrafts of tribal enterprises from across the country and helps them market their produce/ products directly. It is a major leap towards the digitisation of tribal commerce.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)