Samvaad, The Tribal Conclave – 2023 Edition - Currylines

The sprawling ground is abuzz with excitement. The circular Gopal maidan is a kaleidoscope of colors, sounds, lights and energy, pulsating right in the heart of the city.

Salutations of ‘Johar’ ring through the air, as the word that means ‘Welcome’, warmly greets visitors from near and far.

The thronging crowds cannot seem to get enough of the action, as they hover around the umpteen stalls, undertaking the overwhelming task of choosing from innumerable options spanning myriad delights that range from art and crafts, regional dishes, traditional herbal medicines and much more.

Taking centre stage is the electrifying beat of tribal music that fills the air and intensifies the vibrant atmosphere, heightening the overall aura of festivity.

I am thrilled to be a part of Samvaad, which is an annual tribal convention held in the city of Jamshedpur which lies in the East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, India.

This is my first ever visit to Jharkhand and obviously to Samvaad too and it is my utmost pleasure to witness the 10th edition of this yearly tribal festival which promises 5 glorious days of immersion into the various facets of tribalism, encompassing music, art, cuisine, culture, folklore and the like.

While I am here to focus primarily on the cuisine, I must confess that I am unable to resist the temptation of revelling in all the other aspects of the festival and I marvel at the wonderful tapestry of the various elements of tribal living that have been so skillfully woven into a one stop display by the well curated event.

Come say ‘Johar’ to Jamshedpur as we go stall hopping to explore the delights of our bountiful tribal treasures.

The essence of Samvaad –

Samvaad – A Tribal Conclave

Translating to ‘Dialogue’, Samvaad is the initiative of Tata Steel Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) division of Tata Steel Limited (TSL). TSL is one of the leading steel manufacturing companies of India and is based in the city of Jamshedpur.

Established in 2014 in the form of tribal conclave, the objective of Samvaad is to bring together the various tribes of India with the purpose of renewing, safeguarding and sustainably promoting tribal customs and culture, through healthy and constructive discourse and activities.

The annual event that celebrates the varied elements of tribalism is organized every year at Jamshedpur, which is where Tata Steel has its manufacturing facilities.

Held from Nov 15th to Nov 19th annually, the date of commencement is set to commemorate the birthday of Shri Birsa Munda.

Birsa Munda was a well known Indian tribal freedom fighter and folk hero hailing from the indigenous Munda tribe of this region. The Birsa Munda domestic airport at Ranchi (the capital of Jharkhand), is also named after him.

Each year the event adopts a different theme which is contextual and the concept for 2023 is ‘Walk with me’, a contemplation of the 10 years of journeys taken so far and an analysis of their consequences on the community, with the aim of retaining what is successful and also making course corrections if needed, for the path that lies ahead. As always, the final holistic goal is the preservation and celebration of tribal ways.

Some of the earlier themes have been ‘Coming together for Social change’, ‘Tribalism today’, ‘Aspiration of tribal youth and leadership for future’, ‘Tribal health systems’, ‘Tribal languages’ and other such relevant topics.

This festival is one of the biggest tribal events in India and it brings together a host of participants across various elements like art, handicrafts, music, medicine, cuisine, films and performers of various art forms, onto a single platform to showcase their culture and to contribute to their development.

In essence, the vibrant tribal funfair is a visual and auditory spectacle … a veritable sensory feast that celebrates the diversity and richness of tribal cultures, bringing people together in a spirit of bonhomie, oneness and cultural exchange.

Till date, Samvaad has enabled a convergence of more than 40,000 visitors and people from 150 tribes, spanning 25 states and 5 Union Territories of India and the numbers are increasing by the year. There also has been an international presence from 17 other countries.

In the current 2023 edition, there were a total of 45 stalls organized by 110 artisans, who were showcasing 28 art forms of different tribal communities and also conducting art and handicraft workshops and sessions with experts from relevant fields. Besides this, there were 25 stalls displaying various forms of natural healing treatments and traditional medicines and then the cuisine of course played pride of place via the 18 outlets which served varied fare from various tribes, taking the palates of the visitors on a delightful culinary adventure.

About Tata Steel Foundation-

Tata Steel Foundation, a subsidiary of Tata Steel Limited, was incorporated in August 2016. This foundation operates across 4,500 villages in the states of Jharkhand and Odisha. The 600 member team focuses on creating solutions that address developmental issues of tribal communities by developing sustainable and scalable systems that enable their betterment in a significant and enduring manner (information obtained from tatasteel.com)

About Jharkhand state –

Map from jharkhand.gov.in

Jharkhand state is located in Eastern India in a region where forests make up 30 % of the area. The name literally translates to Land of Forests. This state also has a high population of tribal folk with around 32 indigenous communities coexisting in this multi-ethnic kinship.

November 15th is also the date on which Jharkhand was sliced off from Bihar (to which it originally belonged), to form a separate state after a prolonged tribal movement in the year 2000.

About Jamshedpur city –

It is one of the major cities in the state of Jharkhand.

Originally known as Sakchi, this city’s claim to fame comes from the Tata Steel Plant set up here in 1904. Hence it is also known as India’s steel city and its current name was given in 1919 by the British Lord Chelmsford and was derived by the great industrialist and visionary Jamshedji Tata, who was its founder. India’s first iron and steel company was established here by his son Dorabji Tata. The city is also referred to as Tatanagar Steel City.

It also has the distinction of having a literacy rate of 85% which is greater than the national average.

A few highlights of Samvaad 2023 –

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Venues – the festival was conducted across various venues and the programs were scheduled optimally, facilitating minimal overlap between different events.

The Tribal Culture Centre (TCC) and Johar Haat were the locations for the morning and afternoon sessions and the main Gopal maidan came alive in the evenings, with all the action shifting there in the open air.

TCC is promoted by Tata Steel and is intended to be an activity hub for tribal activities.

Johar Haat is a space that is dedicated to exhibit the art, craft, cuisine and culture of various tribes through regular exhibitions.

Gopal maidan is a large ground in the city which has played host to earlier editions of Samvaad too.

As evening falls, the events shift completely to the maidan which is illuminated by a dazzling array of lights, creating a magical ambience. For 5 days the fairgrounds come alive with vibrant tribal decor, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the participating tribes. Each tribe has its presence across various stalls, offering a diverse array of goods and activities. The festivities continue into the night with high energy performances and frenzied shopping and eating, giving the revellers memories to last a whole year until the next celebration of Samvaad.

Program schedules –

The schedules are thoughtfully and optimally designed to incorporate various events, covering the different facets which are to be discussed and experienced.

A typical day has timetables that incorporate programs related to tribal art, handicrafts, healing, cuisine and cultural celebrations.

A handy program sheet is available to indicate the events of the day which follow a general pattern as given below –

Tribal art and handicrafts events – 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and again from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Tribal Healing Practices – 9.30 am to 1.00 pm and again from 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Tribal Cuisine – a few events from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm and again from 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Cultural Celebrations – 6.00 pm to 9.00 pm

Some prominent facets of the festival –

Cuisine –

A quintessential aspect of the Samvaad experience is the tribal cuisine, where the culinary prowess of tribal home chefs takes centre stage.

Gopal maidan housed 16 stalls showcasing a range of delicacies from various tribes. For 5 evenings, the scent of cooking wafted through the air from stalls laden with arrays of goodies, enticing palates to explore the hyperlocal exotic fare. These stalls needless to say, saw a constant stream of hungry visitors and I could barely get any space to work the camera. No complaints though because being a foodie myself, I could understand how impossible it was to resist the lure of such exotic fare which was sold at seriously ridiculously low prices too!

The culinary activities at Samvaad were also supported by a team from The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), the hospitality company which is a part of the Tata Group and their team also manages their in-house stall called Aatithya where they curated a specially chosen set of dishes to be sold every evening.

Apart from this, a 5 day online delivery of tribal fare featuring daily lunch menus and operating out of Johar Haat, was also made available under the label of Aatithya, in association with the delivery partner Zomato, ensuring that people living in the city could also get to experience this food from the comfort of their homes.

Special invitees had the pleasure of partaking of exclusively curated lunches which were served for 5 days at the Johar Haat venue.

Arts and crafts – a total of 45 stalls at Gopal maidan exhibited a mind boggling array of handicrafts that ranged from textiles, household goods, jewelry, decor and innumerable other products crafted from a range of natural raw materials!

Artisans proudly displayed their handcrafted wares, as shoppers animatedly chose items to adorn and enhance their homes with elements of the vibrant culture.

Music – Music is the soul of our tribes and the evenings were absolute auditory extravaganzas with bands from various tribes showing off their amazing talent. The central stage at the fair ground played host to live music performances featuring traditional tribal instruments alongside modern elements, creating a fusion of sounds and lights and colors that captivated the audience. Ranging from soul stirring melodies depicting tribal life, to upbeat tunes that inspired spontaneous dancing among the audience, the bands kept the spirits raised high.

The lively hustle and bustle also included tribal dance performances featuring graceful movements and vibrant costumes, telling stories of ancient traditions. The dancers adorned with bright colors and traditional jewelry added to the visual spectacle. and greatly tempted the spectators to jump in and join the action, fostering a sense of community and celebration.

Some of the notable shows were by the Apatani and Dangi Bhils, Sumi and Koya
artistes, Rhythms of the Earth, Da Shugs from Ladakh, Tripuri, Dongar Koli,
Kolam and Gond performers and many more.

Traditional medicines and healing –

Long before modern medicines found their way to mainstream healing, our traditional medicine men were curing diseases with their herbs and potions and age old wisdom. Tribal healers have safeguarded many of these medicinal ingredients which continue to be used by those who understand their value and potential.

Samvaad has given these healers a platform to feature their folk medicines and healing practices and the 25 stalls at the maidan were a testimony to the faith and trust that people have in these forms of alternative treatments.

Conferences and presentations –

The Tribal Culture Centre hosted various conferences, presentations and other sessions in the mornings at various locations in the premises, including indoor halls, outdoor spaces and the Akhra (arena) which is a large amphitheater.

My experiences –

I was able to enjoy 2 whole days at Samvaad during which my itinerary was specially curated as per my focus on the cuisine.

Beginning with a heart (and tummy) warming interaction and cooking session with 2 lovely ladies from the Negi tribe of Himachal Pradesh, I experienced a delightful lesson in making a bread called Gogo, accompanied by a mixed vegetable stew and a sweet called Dhurru which is roasted barley flour halwa.

Tashi Lamo and Yeshey Lamo Negi were my lively and lovely teachers and it was wonderful to interact and learn so much from them. They also make fabulous momos which I unfortunately had no time to learn.

While the pictures here will give you a visual narrative, it will be far more entertaining to actually view the video on the fun that was had 😀

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My second culinary event was also very special, being a special invitee of Shri Sourav Roy at one of the curated lunches at Johar Haat. Sourav ji is the zealous and energetic CEO of the CSR at Tata Steel Foundation.

The lunch was exquisite and the affair was further enhanced by the interspersing of the various courses with story telling by the respective tribal cooks, describing the details and history behind each of the age-old recipes and their ingredients.

My plate was adorned with the culinary specialties of the different tribes from across the country and my palate was treated to the flavors and textures of various delicacies like hot seabuckthorn tea, Bamlu Bidwi, from the Bodo tribe featuring a hot broth of chicken, green vegetables and herbs, Garak from Telangana, which is a savoury Gondi patty cooked with split black gram, Usan Inchin, a dish from the Singpho tribe of Arunachal Pradesh which had chicken wrapped in leaves and served with herbs and spices and many more such exotic dishes.

Needless to say, I was in tribal food heaven and this was truly an experience of a lifetime.

Keeping up the tempo were the evening stalls at Gopal maidan where I continued my food expedition through the various stalls. Since it was a very difficult task to choose from the vast smorgasbord of exotic fare, I just managed to sample a few items like momos,

One of the memorable incidents was introducing my tongue to Red ant chutney called Hau chutney. A case where I bit the ants instead of the other way around 😎 Hau unusual indeed!

Jokes apart, this sour and spicy chutney which is made by gathering ants from their nests in trees and crushing them with seasonings and condiments, is also said to be rich in protein and minerals and has medicinal benefits.