New Delhi, August 25: State Minister for Tribal Affairs, Durga Das Uike, chaired a national conference that commenced on Monday in Mysuru. The three-day event focuses on the documentation of tribal languages and the enhancement of tribal museums and Tribal Freedom Fighter Museums (TFFMs), as reported by an official from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
The official stated that the aim of this National Conclave is to advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a ‘Developed India 2047’. Reviving India’s traditional knowledge systems and ensuring no community is left behind are key pillars of inclusive national development.
This conclave brings together policymakers, linguists, researchers, technologists, and representatives from tribal communities to discuss the documentation and revitalization of tribal languages, as well as the strengthening of tribal and TFFM museums across the country.
The Ministry is hosting the National Conclave on tribal languages and museums from August 24 to 26. It aims to provide a platform for discussions on the documentation, preservation, and revitalization of tribal languages, while also facilitating parallel discussions on strengthening tribal museums and TFFMs.
This conclave will further the vision shared by the Prime Minister in his 2016 Independence Day speech, which recognized the contributions of tribal communities to India’s freedom struggle.
Under this initiative, the Ministry has approved 11 Tribal Freedom Fighter Museums across 10 states, four of which have already been inaugurated. The conclave will discuss a shared vision for tribal museums and TFFMs, aiming to develop them as vibrant institutions of contemporary curation, storytelling, and community-based heritage representation.
The statement emphasized that this reflects the Prime Minister’s broader belief that language is not merely a means of communication but a living repository of a community’s culture, heritage, and traditional knowledge, with tribal languages at its core.
The National Conclave aims to place community priorities at the center of the agenda and to develop a national roadmap for the documentation, preservation, and revitalization of tribal languages.
The statement also noted that the loss of any tribal language results in the loss of an entire repository of ecological, medicinal, agricultural, and cultural knowledge. Therefore, the Ministry has involved Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) and state tribal welfare departments in the preservation of tribal languages.
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S.C.H.
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