Skip to main content

Tribal life of Bastar: Vibrant culture despite being hit by Maoist insurgency

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi 

Bastar is known for its vibrant tribal culture. Though hit by Maoist insurgency, it is worthwhile to appreciate its beauty and diversity...
Bastar 1: Women from the Dhurwa community wearing the traditional Pata weave pose for a photo with hanging corns in Gudiya village.
Bastar 2: A man shows dried bamboo shoots carefully stored in his house. These are eaten when there is a shortage of vegetables.
Bastar 3: A youth carries paddy after harvest. Paddy is often carried on the shoulders like this.
Bastar 4: A schoolgirl plays with marigold flowers after school.
Bastar 5: A dev gudi or a sacred grove in Tusel village of Bastar. These are tribal places of worship.
Bastar 6: Homeward bound after a long day of work.
Bastar 7: A family busy in paddy harvest.
Bastar 8: Inside the Kanger Valley National Park, a woman lights a fire on a cold afternoon.
Bastar 10: With many households lacking gas cylinders, fuelwood collection is important for cooking.

Comments

TRENDING

Neville Cardus: The man who turned cricket writing into poetry

By Harsh Thakor*  Neville Cardus was one of the most remarkable literary figures of the twentieth century. A prolific English writer and critic, he achieved distinction in two vastly different fields: cricket and classical music. Entirely self-taught, Cardus rose from humble beginnings to become both the cricket correspondent and chief music critic of The Manchester Guardian . His achievements in these contrasting disciplines earned him widespread acclaim and established him as one of the foremost critics of his generation. In February 2025, the cricketing and literary world marked the fiftieth anniversary of his death, which occurred in February 1975.

The politics of dreaming: Savita Singh's feminist imagination

By Ravi Ranjan*  In contemporary Hindi poetry, few voices have explored the philosophical and creative possibilities of women's experience as powerfully as Savita Singh. Across collections such as "Svapna Samay" (Dream Time), Aapne Jaisa Jeevan, and "Prem Bhi Ek Yatana" Hai, she has developed a poetic world in which woman is not merely a subject of suffering or social commentary but a creator of knowledge, meaning, and alternative realities.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.