By Kabir Basu, Grade 11
More than providing the right answers, the session “Worlds Within and Apart”—featuring author, journalist and educator Chatura Rao (How Mohan Found Himself) alongside filmmaker and writer Devashish Makhija (translator of We are the Dancing Forest)—was really about asking the right questions.
Before reading excerpts from their books, both authors shared their conflicted feelings regarding the representation of Adivasi culture by non-Advivasis. Chatura mentioned that she drew on her experience as a journalist who had covered indigenous land-rights activism and the erasure of tribal identities in ‘mainstream’ schools. Both authors raised difficult questions about who gets to claim credit and ownership of stories from under-served communities.
Chatura’s story follows Mohan, a government schoolteacher conflicted by his own roots, who laments the treatment of his Adivasi students. The story comes from a long history of the oppression of Adivasis, who have lost thousands of acres of land to developmental projects and mining companies, disrupting their ties to their livelihoods and cultures. Mohan’s story encapsulates what it is to come to terms with one’s own identity, helping Adivasi students and understanding Adivasi culture.
The context of the book sparked a discussion about who the story is credited to: the author, or the Adivasis who were interviewed for the stories. Mr. Makhija talked about his work, a translation of Raj Shekhar’s beautiful poem about the joys of Adivasi life in the forest. He asked both the audience and himself, “Who decides what is considered mainstream and what is considered marginalised?” Most importantly, he pointed out that there was no Adivasi writer/artist on stage speaking about these issues.
The Q&A session brought up contrasting opinions, as a debate took place about the importance of concrete action and whether storytelling really was enough. The age-old question of land ownership was also discussed, and whether industrialists really had the right to claim Adivasi land for the ‘common good’ of a state they never agreed to be part of.
What I took away from this panel discussion was that we have to pay attention to how conversations on marginalised communities are framed, and where advocacy crosses into the realm of appropriation. The role of a storyteller is extremely complex: it possesses the power to provide a voice to the voiceless, but that power has to be used carefully and responsibly.
