Bhubaneswar, February 5: The 11-day Adivasi Mela, a vibrant socio-cultural event depicting Odisha’s tribal life, language, agricultural richness, empowerment of tribal women, cultural promotion and conservation, livelihood and employment opportunities transformed the Adivasi Exhibition Ground in Unit-I into a mini tribal village and “haat.” Today, the event came to a colourful end, amid prize distributions for meritorious students in SSD schools and winners of various state-level competitions and categories.
The major highlights of this year’s annual tribal fair, however, included a three-day multilingual drama festival. The festival showcased plays in Santali, Desia, Ho and Mundari languages, focusing on social awareness and promoting multiculturalism. It served as a compelling sideline event during the World Odia Language Conference in the Temple City, emphasising the significance of mother language-based education and its patronage in the State.
Two additional major attractions included 10 tribal huts, with seven representing Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and three from other tribal communities. The event also weaved a beautiful tapestry of tribal culture by showcasing dances performed by 40 troupes from various tribal communities, out of the 62 found in the geographic spread of the region.
Adivasi Mela, the much-awaited annual event of the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, drew a crowd of over 10 lakh people this year. The event also witnessed a significant business volume, surpassing Rs 5 crore.
Among the distinguished guests at the Valedictory Ceremony of Adivasi Mela 2024, ST/SC Development, Minorities, and Backward Classes Welfare and Law Minister Jagannath Saraka graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The event also saw the presence of 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.
While Commissioner-cum-Secretary ST, SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Roopa Roshan Sahoo, and Managing Director Tribal Development Cooperative Corporation of Odisha Limited, Poma Tudu, joined as Guests of Honour, Member Secretary Academy of Tribal Languages and Culture, Director Tribal Affairs and SCSTRTI, Indramani Tripathy, and senior officials of the department were also present.
On the concluding day, the stage saw a diverse array of prize distributions. Notably, the ceremony included the felicitation of six best performing students from the State Level Tribal Painting Competition organised by SC/ST Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), recognition for 32 best-performing students in the State Level Essay Competition in tribal languages by SCSTRTI, and accolades for 104 best performing students in the HSC Examination of 2023 from SSD High Schools.
Further honours were extended to 14 best performing students from CBSE Class X Board Exam-2023 at Eklavya Model Residential Schools for diary writing and mountaineering courses. The prize distribution also featured felicitation of 50 best performing SSD High Schools, commendation for nine outstanding tribal individuals for their significant contributions in agriculture and horticulture, and applause for the three best tribal huts (four winners) showcasing tribal life.
Additionally, the ceremony celebrated the success of the best-performing tribal vendors (members of Women Self Help Groups). Special recognition was given to the tribal dance and drama troupe performing on the valedictory day.
In her closing remarks, Secretary SCST Development, Shrimati 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.”