Tribals from different parts of Odisha showcased their lifestyle and culture at the annual Adivasi Fair, which began at Adivasi Ground here on Monday.
Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Adivasi Mela and Sanskrutika Utsav-2023 on Monday evening. He also visited the Art and Craft Sector of Adivasi Mela on the occasion.
The festival is recognized every year for ten days in Bhubaneshwar. The Adivasi Mela Bhubaneswar Tribal Exhibition & Festival is one of the oldest and most colorful festivals of the tribal people which showcases art, culture, music, tradition and artifacts
The fair is on till March 1.
Tribal communities have built replicas of their households and villages turning the fair into a living museum.
Residents of the city got a real feel of the tribal way of life. Tribal communities also brought with them indigenous products like herbs, medicines, spices, cereals, millet, rice, forest products, handicraft items and jewellery during the week-long fair.
On the inaugural occasion Jagannath Saraka, Minister, ST & SC Development, Law, Pradeep Majhi, Advisor, Special Development Council, Mayor, BMC, Smt. Sulochana Das, Advisor to CM R. Balkrishnan, Secretary (5-T) V.K. Pandian, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, STSC Development Department Smt. Roopa Roshan Sahoo, Director, SCSTRTI and Member Secretary, ATLC Indramani Tripathy, Programme Director, OPELIP P. Arthanaree and others were present on the occasion.
To propagate art, culture and tradition of Adivasi (ST) and to market their authentic tribal products have been the sole purpose of Adivasi Mela. This year Adivasi Mela will continue for a period of ten days till 1st March.
On the inaugural occasion Jagannath Saraka, Minister, ST & SC Development, Law, Pradeep Majhi, Advisor, Special Development Council, Mayor, BMC, Smt. Sulochana Das, Advisor to CM R. Balkrishnan, Secretary (5-T) V.K. Pandian, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, STSC Development Department Smt. Roopa Roshan Sahoo, Director, SCSTRTI and Member Secretary, ATLC Indramani Tripathy, Programme Director, OPELIP P. Arthanaree and others were present on the occasion.
To propagate art, culture and tradition of Adivasi (ST) and to market their authentic tribal products have been the sole purpose of Adivasi Mela. This year Adivasi Mela will continue for a period of ten days till 1st March.
On the inaugural occasion Jagannath Saraka, Minister, ST & SC Development, Law, Pradeep Majhi, Advisor, Special Development Council, Mayor, BMC, Smt. Sulochana Das, Advisor to CM R. Balkrishnan, Secretary (5-T) V.K. Pandian, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, STSC Development Department Smt. Roopa Roshan Sahoo, Director, SCSTRTI and Member Secretary, ATLC Indramani Tripathy, Programme Director, OPELIP P. Arthanaree and others were present on the occasion.
The primary attraction of Adivasi Mela this year is 121 stalls in total that will sell and display authentic products. Ten PVTG houses have been constructed. These will make the visitors enjoy the tribal atmosphere of remote parts of the State. These houses have thatched and tile roofs while the wall has been painted with jhoti. Banana trees with bunch of plantains in the house compounds and hanging of large pumpkins and goats from roofs have added to the attraction. Tradition and development are reflected in the models of the house. In the Adivasi Haat, various tribal and forest products are available for sale. Women SHG of ITDA and Micro Projects are selling their products made by them and produced in the forest.
Tribal women in 62 ITDA stalls are selling the product collected and produced by them. 17 stalls of micro-projects have been allotted to SHG women.
Apart from that TDCC, OFSDS, Mission Shakti, ORMAS, Millet Mission, Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department, and Planning and Convergence Department are selling and displaying their products in 23 stalls.
There will be a cultural programme and tribal dance during the exhibition every evening. It is worth mentioning that every year 8 to 10 lakh visitors visit Adivasi Mela and there is a business turnover of 5 to 6 Crores. Bhubaneswar and its adjoining areas and from people of neighbouring States also visit the mela. They purchase necessary food items and forest products like turmeric, millet, moong, black gram, corn, basmati rice, honey, broomstick, palua etc for one year.
All necessary Police and security arrangements have been made in the Adivasi Mela. Close CCTVs have been installed in the Mela premises. It is being monitored by the control room and main control room. To make people alert about Corona there is awareness message displayed.
All necessary Police and security arrangements have been made in the Adivasi Mela. Close CCTVs have been installed in the Mela premises. It is being monitored by the control room and main control room. To make people alert about Corona there is awareness message displayed.
There is Fast Aid Camp, Temporary Fire Brigade and Electricity Control Room etc. In various sectors of the Mela, there is provision of Fire Extinguishers. Necessary steps have been made to visit and purchase the products as well as to enjoy the cultural programmes.
History of culture-cum- trade fair, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Adivasi Mela, the annual culture-cum- trade fair was first started in 1951 at Cuttack, the then state capital of Odisha. It was shifted to Bhubaneswar, the new capital city in 1954 and held at Adivasi Exhibition Ground, Unit-1, Bhubaneswar. Subsequently, in view of law and order situation, the Adivasi Mela is being held at IDCO Exhibition Ground, Unit-III, Bhubaneswar from 2018 onwards. The Mega Event is organized by the ST and SC Development Department, Govt. of Odisha. Initially, the Adivasi Mela was held for a week and subsequently from 2010 the duration of the fair has been increased to 15 days considering popularity of the event gained over the years.
The Chief objective of the Adivasi Mela is about promotion and celebration of the traditions and handicraft of the tribes of Odisha. The fair showcases the colorful tribal art and craft, forest and tribal produces, tribal cousins along with stage performance of cultural programmes of tribal dances every evening. The other major motive of Adivasi Mela is to spread awareness about the required development of the tribes of Odisha by becoming a major tourist attraction.
Local residents of the capital city eagerly wait for this Annual event to collect their yearly household needs while tourists throng to get in overall picture and feel of the tribal society. Now a-days Adivasi Mela witnesses huge footfall of 8-10 lakhs visitors attracting tourists from the foreign countries. The Annual Adivasi Mela provides all facilities like, fast-aid, ambulance, ATM, services etc at the venue. It also ensures safety security measures for the visitors and participants with insurance coverage.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Annual Adivasi Mela, 2021 was organized in hybrid mode at Adivasi Exhibition Ground, Unit-I, Bhubaneswar with participation of only 100 Tribal SHGs sponsored by ITDAs & Micro Project Agencies. During current year, due to resurgence of COVID-19, the Adivasi Mela could not be organized from 26th January to 9th February, 2022. Later, due to improvement of situation and relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions.
The Adivasi Mela, 2022 is being held from 23rd April to 2nd May 2022 at IDCO Exhibition Ground, Unit-III, Bhubaneswar, which will be inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Odisha on 23.04.2022 at 6PM. There will be 100 nos of stalls in total i.e. ITDAs (45), MPAs (17), Mission Shakti (21), ORMAS (15) and TDCC (2) to provide the ST SHGs with a platform to showcase and sell their agricultural and forest products. Besides, 56 Tribal Dance Troupes will be stage dance performance in each evening of the Adivasi Mela.
Tribal Dance
- BATHUDI DANCE
- KOLHA DANCE
- KUTIA KONDHA DANCE
- LANJIA SAORA DANCE
- ORAON DANCE
- KOYA DANCE
- DONGRIA KONDHA DANCE
- JUANG DANCE
- PARAJA DANCE
- PAUDI BHUINYA DANCE
- CHHAU LODHA DANCE
- KISAN DANCE
- SANTAL DANCE
- GHUMURA DANCE
Tribal Culture
Culture is the shorthand version of the rules which guide the way of life of the people. The tribal culture is very simple and portrays a subtle side of Odisha. More specifically culture can be thought of as the common learned way of life shared by the members of a society.
The tribal people of Odisha are strong, industrious and very hospitable in nature. They usually don’t intermingle with outsiders, since they are not too advanced and are quite shy. This people express their cultural identity and distinctiveness in their social organization, language, rituals and festivals and also in their dress, ornamentation, art and craft.
The men folk are engaged in activities like agriculture, hunting and fishing to earn a living. They have retained their own way of managing internal affairs of the village mainly through two institutions namely, the village council and the youth dormitory. The dormitory is the core of tribal culture and it reinforces the age-old traditions. In Odisha this institution occurs among many tribal communities in some form or other. It is variously called by different tribal groups. The tribal people live a life without any luxuries that the urban city provides and yet are content with it.
The tribal culture of Odisha is also abundant is the celebration of festivals. Being God-fearing people, they worship numerous deities for their well-being. The festivals are celebrated with much excitement and happiness and the traditional rituals are closely followed in order to please the Gods. The most important festivals are Chaita Parab and Push Parab when the men folk go on hunting expeditions. The different customs and lifestyle is what makes the tribal culture truly distinctive and fascinating.
Tribal Festivals
The festivals of the tribals constitute a integral part of their social life and relate to their strong beliefs in the power of supernatural elements and community togetherness. Parab Festival is highly significant to the tribal groups of Odisha as it gives a platform to even the small tribal groups existing in the state Their traditions can best be captured at these fairs and festivals. These tribal groups are able to remain in forefront due to the festival and preserve their culture to the fullest. Most festivals are occasions that mark the change of season relating to harvest of crops and some are religious events commemorating a local deity. Innumerable folk traditions and spirits are manifested by way of observing vratas and oshas (fasts) by Hindus in Odisha.
Among the tribesmen, festivities connected with sowing, harvesting and consumption of first fruits, and among shifting cultivations, the feeling of the jungle and burning it down for reduction to ash manure, are important ones. Interestingly, enough, success in ceremonial collective hunting in April-May often is believed to contribute to the success of their agricultural efforts . The Santhals have a special spring festival of rejoicing with sprinkling of water, special songs and dances.
When the roles of the deities are acted out by men, and thereby many traditional social barriers fall. Usually, the supreme god is not offered any specific worship among tribals. But among the Santhals of Mayurbhanj ,one may perform the worship every fifth year or at least one in a life-time. Bondo festivities have a great relevance for the tribal communities of Odisha.
The Bondos spend a great deal of time on their religion, and the feasts and holidays are an important part of Bondo life. Moreover, the collective festivities foster a sense of solidarity of the village and fortify one’s confidence in undertaking major activities in economic and social life as possible. Thus proving herself to be virtuous and devoted. The wife presents a number of delicacies to her husband at the end of her fast.
Tribal Rituals
The religion of the tribal Odisha is a nature-worship, fetishism, shamanism, anthropomorphism and ancestor worship. The annual cycle of rituals commence right from the initiation of agricultural operation, for instance, among the Juang, Bhuyan, Kondh, Saora, Gadaba, Jharia, Didayee, Koya and Bondo, who practise shifting cultivation.
Religious beliefs and practices aim at ensuring personal security and happiness as well as community well-being and group solidarity. Their religious performances include life-crisis rites, cyclic community rites, ancestor and totemic rites and observance of taboos. Besides these, the tribals also resort to various types of occult practices. In order to tide over either a personal or a group crisis the tribals begin with occult practices, and if it does not yield any result the next recourse is supplication of the supernatural force.
Among all the tribes conformity to customs and norms and social integration continue to be achieved through their traditional political organizations. The tributary institutions of social control, such as family, kinship and public opinion continue to fulfill central social control functions. All the rituals centering agricultural operation, first-fruit eating, human, live-stock and crop welfare are observed by the members of a village on a common date which is fixed by the village head-man in consultation with the village priest.
Tribal Art & Craft
Odisha boasts of a long and rich cultural heritage. Due to the reigns of many different rulers in the past, the culture, arts and crafts of the state underwent many changes, imitations, assimilations and new creations, from time to time. The artistic skill of the Odisha artists is unsurpassable in the world. The State practically reigns, as far as the production of tribal handicrafts is concerned.
The tribal potters make objects like pots, bowls, plates, jars and cooking stoves to meet requirements of daily life as well as for rituals. Odisha craftsmen are highly skilled at making traditional art and crafts made out of bamboo and cane. The structural characteristics of the bamboo, like its high tensile strength, are employed for architectural purposes. Bamboo splits are woven to make baskets. There are ample crafts that can be made out of bamboo like ropes, strings, brooms and the like. These products are largely manufactured by the artisans for local consumption.