Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda inaugurated the Aadi Mahotsav – the National Tribal Festival – at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand today. The mega event is being organized by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, from 7th – 16th October 2023.
Addressing the gathering, Munda said that the Aadi Mahotsav is a major platform to take the tribal culture, traditions and art of our country to the national and international markets. He appreciated the live demonstrations by women tribal artisans making their artefacts. The Minister expressed gratitude towards the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for his vision of popularising tribal products by presenting them to visiting dignitaries during the G20 Summit.
Munda called the Aadi Mahotsav as a celebration of the contribution of our tribal ancestors, the culture of various unique tribal communities, their lifestyle and the tribals themselves.
The festival provides an opportunity to meet the artisans, learn about their way of life and get acquainted with the tribal culture and traditions. This Aadi Mahotsav completes the feeling of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, the Minister added.
Aadi Mahotsav, an annual celebration of tribal entrepreneurship, craft, culture, cuisine, and commerce, serves as a vital platform to display the rich and diverse heritage of tribes from across the nation. This year the festival will highlight the talents of 336 tribal artisans and artists, including Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and Van Dhan Vikas Kendra (VDVK) beneficiaries.
This event will feature 30 artisans’ stalls, around 11 VDVKs’ stalls and 5 cuisine stalls from Jharkhand. The event will successfully demonstrate 68 artisans’ stalls from other states including 15 cuisine stalls. It shall be live demonstrations showcasing exquisite talent across various categories namely textiles, painting, jewellery, metal, cane & bamboo & cuisine.
Dignitaries present during the event included Bidyut Baran Mahato, Member of Parliament, Chanakya Chaudhury, Vice President (Corp. Affairs), Tata Steel, Geetanjali Gupta, MD, TRIFED, among others.