Shri A.K. Balan, Hon’ble Minister for Culture, SC/ST and Backward Communities,

Dr. A. Sampath, Member of Parliament,

Adv. B. Sathyan, Member of Legislative Assembly,

Shri M. Pradeep, Chairman, Municipality Attingal,

Shri Biswanath Sinha IAS, Principal Secretary, SC/ST Backward Classes Development Department,

Dr. P. Pugazhenthi IFS, Director, Scheduled Tribes Development Department,

Shri Prince Raj S.K., Member, Attingal Municipality,

Sahodaree Sahodaranmare,

Ellaavarkkum Ente Namaskaaram.

       It gives me great joy to inaugurate Gaddhika, a confluence of Tribal arts, crafts and culture, organized by the Scheduled Tribes Development Department, Government of Kerala.

Let me begin by greeting all the participants of Gaddhika and complimenting the Scheduled Tribes Development Department and other departments and agencies concerned, for organizing this Festival for the benefit of the tribal communities in Kerala.

I understand that this is the sixth edition of Gaddhika and that in all the five earlier events, the programme had received great attention from society. Such events have helped to highlight the skills of our tribal communities as well as the need to bring them to the social mainstream.

I appreciate the organizers for choosing Gaddhika as the name for this festival. As we know the name Gaddhika points to a period of prosperity, as suggested through the traditional dance form of the ‘Adiya’ tribes of Wayanad district. The belief about performing ‘Gaddhika’ bringing prosperity to the tribal village by warding off evil is well known.  Similarly, let us hope that this Festival which assembles nearly one thousand artists, 500 craftsmen and entrepreneurs from tribal communities will also usher in prosperity in our tribal areas.

As we all know, the uplift of the tribal communities has been ensured in our country through Constitutional provisions. For instance, Article 46 of the Constitution provides that the State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the society and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation. I am happy that the Government of Kerala has devised many schemes to ensure that the tribal communities receive the benefits of the constitutional support accorded to them.

When it comes to ensuring welfare, two things that matter most are livelihood and education. Of late, we have seen that the response to the opportunities for education of tribal children is very positive. I have noticed that tribal communities have responded very well to such uplift programmes. One example is that of Project ‘Shine,’ through which some tribal children could recently secure admission to the Sainik School in our State.

For better livelihood, the Government has announced the plan to provide at least One Job to One Tribal Family. The decision to recruit personnel from tribal communities in law enforcement and related areas is an attempt to reduce the gap between the tribal communities and the society.

The development of ‘Gaddhika’ from an exhibition cum sale of traditional artefacts to a larger programme that includes art forms and other facets of tribal life is also indicative of society's growing interest in the welfare of tribal communities. The collaboration of institutions like Kerala Lalita Kala Academy, Kerala Folklore Academy and theSangeeta Nataka Academy has helped in giving exposure to tribal art forms. Such exposure helps artistes and art forms to survive.

Opportunities for performances as in Gaddhika are certainly good, but I would also suggest a proper documentation of   tribal art forms. Due to the changes in our life style, some of the art forms may suffer neglect in coming years. Proper audio visual documentation would be useful for future artistes and   researchers. 

As people who enjoy all the benefits of urbanization and comforts of modern life, we have an obligation to lend a helping hand to the tribal communities to come up in life through better education and other opportunities. One of the areas that deserve attention is the development of skills of the tribal people. In Gaddhika, we have products manufactured by several people from tribal areas and to a certain extent, we also have marketing facilities. But, through proper skill training, we can improve the employability of our tribal youth and the entrepreneurial skills of those engaged in business.

Though some of us tend to believe that tribal communities are far behind us in terms of awareness, there are some key areas where they have shown us the way. Many of our tribal communities are custodians of certain traditional and high yielding crops and I had seen how they have been preserving such crop varieties.  The government's decision to extend the ‘Millet Village Scheme’ implemented in Attappady to the rest of the state is another instance. Similarly, we also need to study in detail, their traditional healing practices and their acquaintance with medicinal plants.

I understand that Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Developmental Studies [KIRTADS]has arranged workshops to give students a first-hand experience of tribal life and culture.  I hope the ethnic food court, Ethnic museum and medicine stalls will create more awareness among people on the real wealth of traditional knowledge and skills that the tribal communities possess.

It is through such awareness that we can respond positively to the issues faced by tribal communities. Displacement, loss of land, health issues, exploitation by middlemen and extremist organizations etc., are some issues that need to be addressed, for which society's involvement and commitment are also required. I hope such interactions would pave the way for a better understanding of tribal life.

There is a general feeling in society that the assistance to tribal communities do not reach the actual beneficiaries in the most useful manner. To make sure that assistance and benefits reach the right beneficiaries, those in the departments concerned must take extra care. People's representatives in tribal areas also need to be more responsive to the needs of tribal communities.

Before I conclude, let me once again greet all people participating in Gaddhika Festival and wish them happiness and progress.

I compliment the organizers for conducting this programme in a befitting manner.

Ellavarkkum Ente Aashamsakal

Nanni

Jai Hind