Adivasi Mela 2024: Multilingual Tribal Drama Fest Attracts Enthusiasts

Bhubaneswar: A beautiful play “Dekh Meta Tor Tokir Kata” in Koraput district’s Desia language, staged at three-day-long multilingual tribal drama festival of Annual Adivasi Mela 2024 today, was trying to create awareness on child marriage. The play depicted how with the interference of the educated mass of the village, a child marriage was called off in the nick of time, and both the minors later became highly educated and led a better life.

Director Sundarmal Barik of “Maa Mauli Kala Parishad” from Gundal Kundra in Koraput district said “the strong message through this tribal multilingual drama festival has really attracted thousands of viewers and given a wonderful experience to the troupes.”

The second play tonight in Mundari language “Hemal Umbul” by “Maa Chintamani Mundari Opera” from Astajharan, Badasahi in Mayurbhanj district has sent a strong message against the ill-effects of unscientific, superstitious and blind belief on witches as a family displaces its own mother.

Writer-Director-Actor Dasrath Singh felt that the first multilingual drama festival at Adivasi Mela would certainly inspire others in the tribal communities to adopt creative thinking and try to bring in social changes through them.

Mobile menace has become a burden in our society. A tribal youth has become a victim and how his life is affected and how due to the addiction he loses his love, family and old parents, was vividly narrated through the powerful play in Mundari language by the members of “Man Biratpat Tayanbur Banga Madil Dramatic Club” from Khadiabasa, Udala in Mayurbhanj district, last evening.

The play “Riling Kedamanmee Jiban Reya Senhora” directed by Satrughan Singh, aptly narrated the plight of millions of parents and their wards, and how the young mass is getting distracted due to the mysterious attraction to the gadget.

This drama in Mundari language yesterday was followed by Santali play “Din Ge Dubung Dubung” which was an awareness drama as in many tribal communities due to over use of entertainments like dance and music, their mainstream activities are getting affected and they are leading with an abysmally low income and “unbalanced” lifestyle.

Director of the Santali play Gangadhar Hembram said “the protagonist from a general community tries to make the tribal people understand that he, with a proper planning and balance, is leading a comfortable life, but his tribal friends are still suffering as their approach to life, in a way, is getting distracted.”

Hembram thanked the ST, SC Development Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department in providing such a wonderful platform to stage the drama in their own Santali language. “I hope as a sideline event of the World Odia Language Conference at Janata Maidan, this event will be sending a beautiful message on the multilingual approach in education and other socio-cultural spheres of the Odisha Government,” he added.

“The diversity of tribal languages is a great asset for our State. The multilingual drama festival at Adivasi Mela Ground has also become a big creative platform for our gifted artists,” said Commissioner-cum-Secretary ST, SC Development Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, Roopa Roshan Sahoo.

“Raj Gaipai the writer-director will stage a drama “Adivasi” tomorrow in Ho language from Pandit Lakobodra Dramatic Club from Karanjia in Mayurbhanj district. In this beautiful play the troupe will showcase the plight of the displaced indigenous communities as despite the false promises they lose their land, forests and all belongings and suffer,” said Samay Purty, a manager of the group.