The first-ever national conference of tribal writers was held in Jammu and Kashmir with its participants setting up a forum to safeguard authentic tribal literature and encourage youngsters to showcase their unique culture through writings, its organisers said on Sunday.
The two-day conference, organised at the Jammu University's Bhaderwah campus in Doda district, was attended by 37 Adivasi writers, poets and cultural experts from across the country.
A collaborative effort of the Jharkhandi Bhasha Sahitya Sanskriti Akhara and the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi Gojri Adab, the conference was inaugurated by Doda Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Paul Mahajan on Saturday.
Representatives from different tribes, including Santhali, Gondi, Ho, Bhundhari, Koya, Banjara, Kharia, Kudhuk, Gujjar, Bakerwal, Gaddi and Munda, attended the conference.
The participants were from different States such as Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, and Andhra Pradesh.
They unanimously decided to set up a national tribal writers' forum to work towards safeguarding authentic tribal literature and encouraging young Adivasi writers to showcase their unique culture through their writings, the organisers said.
They said the meet provided a platform for Adivasi writers to foster cultural exchange and address the challenges they face in preserving their unique identities.
Vandana Tete, who coordinated the meet, said, "The objective was to unite all tribes under one umbrella, facilitating the exchange of culture and addressing the challenges they encounter in preserving their distinct identity."
