A lecture on the topic ‘Anthropology and Tribes of India: Livelihood Perspectives’ was organised by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Regional Centre Ranchi in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Ranchi on May 30at Ramkrishna Mission Ashrama auditorium. Dr. Dipankar Chatterjee Head, Department of IRTDM, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute (Deemed University) was the speaker where as the session was chaired by Swami Bhaveshananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama.
The lecture was organized under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra, Regional Director, IGNCA, Regional Centre Ranchi. Eminent guests including Dr. Ajit Singh, scientist Divyan and Dr. Harendra Sinha former Deputy secretary, Department of Culture, Government of Jharkhand graced the occasion.
Chatterjee presented a very informative lecture regarding the livelihood of various tribes and their anthropological study. He spoke about the tribal population which is found in almost all parts of the world. India has the largest concentration of tribal population. The total population of scheduled tribes accounts for 8.2 per cent of the total population of the country. The primary means of understanding their situation has been through the rubric of deprivation-social, economic, political, cultural and institutional. While this approach continues to be useful, it runs the danger of reducing the subject of its study to merely the victims of the larger processes.
Sustainable Livelihoods approach recognises the importance of ability to access resources and entitlements, reduce risk and vulnerability, and exercise voice. It, therefore, emphasises that the poor do have assets, options and strategies, and that they are decision takers. One of the important features of livelihoods approach is that it focuses upon people’s assets (physical, natural, financial, human, social and political capitals). It also looks at how people utilize these assets and negotiate their problems. The lecture focused on the method of analysing livelihood system of the tribal communities in terms of assets rather than a problem.
The lecture was elaborated with reference to certain tribes namely, Gond, Bhil, Santhal, Saura Paharia, Toto, Siddi, Naga, Andamanese, Irula, Chenchu, Garo and Jarwa, Chatterjee specifically detailed about the transhumant Gujars of Himachal Pradesh who rear Oxen and lead a shifting lifestyle. The racial classification, shifting cultivation, economic classification, regional and linguistic distribution of the tribes were also discussed.
The lecture was informative giving the audience knowledge about various unknown facts related to the tribes of India and their anthropological study.
