Adivasi Mela - Odisha
About Adivasi Mela
Adivasi usually refers to inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent, who are people of various tribes living in different parts of the country. The term was coined in the 1930s from Sanskrit by political activists who wanted to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. It describes various ethnic minorities, such as Chakmas of Bangladesh, Khas of Nepal, and Vedda of Sri Lanka, etc., as well.
Adivasi (Scheduled Tribes and Janjati people) are an integral part of India and the Indian culture and have a distinct way of living, creating, celebrating, and being. Adivasi Mela of Odisha is an event that celebrates the Adivasi population, which is spread across various tribes and gives them a stage to represent their culture and bring their unique creations, crafts, and art forms in front of the rest of the country and the world in general. The ST and SC Development Department, Govt. of Odisha, organizes the event.
The fair started in 1951 at Cuttak, which was, at the time, the state capital of Odisha. It is a cultural cum trade fair that creates a stage for the various tribal people of Odisha to bring their art and culture to the forefront. The event shifted to Bhubaneswar, which became the new capital city in 1954, and the stage for celebrations was now Adivasi Exhibition Ground, Unit-1, Bhubaneswar. Finally, from 2018 onwards, keeping law and order in perspective, the event is now celebrated in IDCO Exhibition Ground, Unit-III.
The Adivasi Mela showcases a wide range of colorful tribal art and craft, tribal food, forest and tribal produce, and much more. For entertainment and cultural interchange, various cultural programmes, such as performances of tribal dance forms, are staged every evening.
Adivasi Mela is also of great significance to the big and crucial task of spreading awareness about the required development of the tribes of Odisha since it has become a prominent tourist attraction and cultural phenomenon. It has become one of the prime events for the residents of the capital city, and tourists from all over the country and other parts of the world come to witness the regional magic, the tribal touch, that gets a stage here.
Acting as the microcosm of Odisha’s diverse tribal landscape, the fair encapsulates the rich, colorful and vibrant cultural diversity and heritage of the various ethnic communities. There are about 62 Scheduled Tribe communities in Odisha, which include 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) which have enormous significance in Indian Tribal diversity. Odisha is rich in its tribal heritage and is linguistically diverse- it is truly a cultural panorama.
The Adivasi fair usually starts at the beginning of the year, between January and February (beginning from January 26th). It is the ideal time for the fair as the weather is decent and not very hot as it is going forward. However, due to the pandemic, the fair was organized in a hybrid way, leveraging digital mediums to connect people to the event, with minimal onsite activity for general safety.
In 2022, the fair was not celebrated in Jan-Feb and got postponed to April-May. People still received it well, even with the scorching heat, and since it coincided with the National Tribal Crafts fair, there were, in total, 187 stalls displaying a massive variety.
The fair not only provides a stage to showcase the tribal cultural diversity and arts and crafts, promoting the local artisans and producers, but it also provides a place for various states to showcase their art and culture.
The event has seen an increase in popularity in recent years, a trend that’s holding steady. Initially, the event went- on for seven days, now a 10–15-day period.
It is also an important event in terms of national integration, as it provides an opportunity for people from all over the country to discover the enormous cultural diversity of the country that is taught in books but rarely experienced by most. Digitalization has to a degree helped unite cultural threads. Events like Adivasi Mela provide a real-world interactive stage for people to educate themselves about the wondrous cultures often limited to regional television programming.
Adivasi Mela helps various tribes come together and take pride in their cultures and creates an opportunity for visitors to experience the diverse cultural expressions and traditional art forms of the Adivasi people. Visitors can see and experience traditional dances and music, taste traditional foods, and purchase traditional handicrafts and artefacts. The event serves as a crucial cultural affair for the Adivasi community and also as an opportunity for visitors to learn about and appreciate the diversity of India’s cultural heritage.