The “Aadi Mahotsav” is a national tribal festival organized by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED). The event is aimed at celebrating the Indian tribal community’s traditional art, culture, crafts, gastronomy, and trade. This year’s edition was inaugurated on February 16 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will be held until February 27.
The “Aadi Mahotsav”
The festival is being held at the Dilli Haat exhibition grounds in New Delhi and features around 200 stalls showcasing the rich and diverse heritage of tribes from across India. Nearly 1,000 tribal artisans are participating in the event to exhibit their traditional crafts, which include textiles, paintings, pottery, wood carvings, and metalwork. Visitors to the festival can also sample traditional tribal foods and watch cultural performances by tribal communities from different parts of India.
Highlights
The event is a platform for tribal artisans to showcase their skills and sell their products directly to consumers, thereby eliminating middlemen and improving their income. The festival also aims to promote tribal products, which are known for their unique designs and high quality, to a wider audience and help to revive the declining traditional tribal crafts industry.
One of the highlights of this year’s event is the special emphasis on exhibiting Shree Anna grown by tribal people, as 2023 is being observed as the International Year of Millets. Shree Anna is a variety of millet that is grown by tribal communities in several states across India. It is a drought-tolerant crop that requires minimal water and is rich in nutrients. By promoting the consumption of Shree Anna, the festival aims to create awareness about the health benefits of millets and the role of tribal communities in promoting sustainable agriculture.
Organized by TRIFED
The festival has been organized by TRIFED, which is an apex organization working under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. TRIFED aims to improve the socio-economic status of tribal communities by promoting and marketing their products, thereby enhancing their income and ensuring that they get a fair price for their products. The organization also seeks to create sustainable livelihood opportunities for tribal people by promoting entrepreneurship and providing market support.
The Aadi Mahotsav festival is a unique platform that celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of tribal communities in India and provides them with a market for their products. By supporting tribal entrepreneurship and promoting traditional tribal crafts, the festival is helping to revive the declining traditional crafts industry and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for tribal people. The event is a step towards empowering tribal communities and ensuring that they get a fair share of the benefits of India’s economic growth.