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Friday, June 19, 2009

Showcasing tribal art and culture through cinema

By Mahim Pratap Singh

Bhopal: The International Festival of Films on Tribal Art and Culture was inaugurated by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Kantilal Bhuriya at Ravindra Bhavan here on Friday.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, State Tribal Welfare Minister Jagannath Singh and Czech Republic’s Ambassador to India Dr. Hynek Kmoníèek were present on the occasion.

“The Central Government is doing a lot for the tribals all over India through grants and aid to State governments,” said Mr. Bhuriya. Madhya Pradesh has been granted Rs.129 crore by the Centre this year. The Centre also implemented the Forest Act in December 2007 under which the Madhya Pradesh Government has begun giving land rights (pattas) to original forest dwellers,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that for centuries tribals had been pushed to the margins and all development had been taking place at their cost and the Madhya Pradesh Government was doing its best to compensate them for the injustices meted out to them over the years.

“The Madhya Pradesh Tribal Welfare Department, with support of its creative division Vanya, is all set to launch Vanya Radio, a community radio catering to tribals in the State,” said Department of Culture director Shriram Tiwari.

“The launching process is in the final stage of acquiring licences, and once that is done the radio will start broadcasting in a month or two,” he said. The Chief Minister wrapped up his speech fast, lightening the atmosphere with some humour, saying politicians have a knack of talking unstopped once they are given the mike.

“State Minister Jagannath Singh made a great suggestion of organising a tribal Olympics of sorts, with tribes from all over the world participating in competitive sports,” said Mr. Chauhan, humorously adding, “For this I ask Mr. Bhuriya to provide us financial assistance from the Centre, because there is a lot of it there, and we will definitely organise it.”

The Czech Ambassador said the film festival was a commendable effort in that it draws together tribal cultures not just from one country but from all over the world.

“Ours is a small country with barely more people than in New Delhi,” said Dr. Kmoníèek. “India knows us through our cars (Skoda) and our shoes (Bata), but we also want us to be known for our culture and this festival will go a long way in helping us do that,” he added.

Source: The Hindu

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