Symposium held on Gujarat tribal literature

To boost Gujarati tribal and folk literature, M S University’s department of Gujarati organised a state-level symposium discussing the nuances of the literature on Saturday in Vadodara. With over 45 writers and academicians of Gujarati literature from across the state, including those from tribal areas, the symposium questioned the stand of Gujarati literature on tribal literature.

While academicians find Gujarati tribal literature and folk literature to be far from being a popular genre among writers, Nita Bhagat, Head of Gujarati department of M S University, said, “It is only for the last two decades that the genre has been taken up and explored by writers and it is still in a developing phase."

Discussing Gujarati novels on tribal culture, Jitendra Vasava, a lecturer at Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh said, “The adivasi has always been described as a figure of pity by mainstream writers. But there is a group of tribal writers, who, through their literature, are giving an answer to the questions raised on their identity. This is a phase of revolt for tribal writers, who are trying to showcase the tribes in the same light. It is only after this that the tribal writers can write about the beauty of their world."

Full report here Indian Express