The Samikhsya Bureau
NEW DELHI: Adi Mahotsav – the National Tribal Festival – was inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at Dilli Haat in the national capital here on Monday.
The festival, hosted by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, will be underway from February 1-15, 2021.
Addressing the occasion, Naidu called for a model of development that preserves the special identity of the tribals.
“Their culture is their identity”, he said and wanted this culture to remain intact while drawing the Adivasis into the mainstream.
Taking note of the wide range of tribal handicrafts, the Vice President emphasized on the need to channelize the natural skills of tribal people to promote and popularize their products and improve their sources of income.
He appreciated the government for promoting interaction between the tribal artisans and the mainstream designers from reputed organizations.
The synergy between these two can generate marketable products of art and handicraft for the top-end global market and added that it would be a win-win situation for the both, he said.
Naidu further stated that the demand for organic food products is growing and TRIFED must tap this niche market. He wanted the TRIFED to ensure that the benefit of higher prices reaches the tribal population.
The fortnight-long festival will feature the exhibition-cum-sale of tribal handicrafts, art, paintings, fabric, jewellery and much more through 200 stalls to showcase this.
About 1000 tribal artisans and artists from across the country are participating in the festival.
The Aadi Mahotsav is an annual event that was started in 2017. The festival is an attempt to familiarise people with the rich and diverse craft, culture of tribal communities across the country at one place.
