Mysore/Mysuru: To commemorate the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, the legendary freedom fighter and tribal leader of the country, Janjatiya Gaurav Divas 2023 was celebrated at  Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysuru recently.

As part of the celebrations, homage and floral tributes  were paid to Birsa Munda.

Dr. N. Muniraju, Director and Planning Coordinator, Tribal Development Commission, Govt. of Karnataka, Mysuru, inaugurated the   programme   along with Muttasomanna, renowned social worker and Jana Rajyotsava Awardee and Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, by lighting the lamp.

Speaking after inaugurating the programme, Dr. Muniraju emphasised on the importance of  Tribals  and their development in the society.

Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh, Director, CFTRI presided over the event and felicitated Sri Muttasomanna.

Muttasomanna has a vast experience of visiting tribal habitats in different places of the country and also strove towards uplift of tribals especially Jenu Kurubas in the forest areas of HD Kote taluk in Mysuru District.

A workshop on ‘Opportunities in Food Processing for Tribal Empowerment’ was  conducted for tribal women at CFTRI.

Dr. U.M. Ravi,  researcher and resource person, Janapada Loka, Ramanagar inaugurated the workshop by offering floral tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda. He also delivered a talk on lifestyle and  food habits of tribals in the State. Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh  spoke on the role of CFTRI  in conducting workshops which includes Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Stree Shakti  Groups and Tribal;  women in the country. 

The hands-on demonstration on pickle-making at Fruits and Vegetable Technology Department,  papad-making at Grain Science and Technology Department and ginger candy-making at Plantation Products Spices and Flavour Technology Department using various pilot plant facilities were conducted.

A talk was also arranged  on nutritional aspects of food  and importance of value addition of food for empowerment of tribal women.  In all, 13 tribal women from the different tribal areas of Mysuru district participated in the programme.  Certificates of participation  were also distributed in the concluding session.   More than 10 students delivered theme-based talks on tribes of India. A quiz on general knowledge about the tribals affairs was conducted for Ph.D and M.Sc students.

Valedictory session

Participating in the  valedictory of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas celebrations, Prof. Promode Kumar Misra, leading  Social Anthropologist and former National Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research delivered  a talk  on “Tribes in India” with emphasis on  bio-cultural  aspects of  Scheduled Tribes in all parts of the country having a well-defined society, culture, identity and rules of behaviour.  He also  mentioned that there has been a significant improvement among tribals in the fields of education and also health,  with diversification of economy. They have also produced many leaders at regional and national-level, he added.

The State and Central Governments have also come out with  different  plans for their development, protection and integration, said Misra.