Around a dozen women are shaping a circular mud platform, rising nearly two feet high, at the centre of a ground in Margareta town of Assam’s Tinsukia district. Manju Santhal, a tribal working on the foundation says, "The structure will serve as the foundation for a statue of Birsa Munda, the iconic tribal freedom fighter and folk hero, ahead of the 21st Adivasi Mahasabha."
The mega gathering, expected to draw lakhs of people, will also mark the first time visit of an outside chief minister, Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren, attending the event as a guest. An adivasi leader said, "Why we have brought him here is because he is an adivasi leader, till now no adivasi CM has come here, he will come and see what problems we are having and which problems are still there among the Adivasis."
The entire venue reflects indigenous aesthetics. Bamboo poles have been used to erect the fencing, while the stage and seating arrangements are being crafted entirely out of wood by Adivasi workers. The four-day event will begin on January 29 and conclude on February 2, with Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren scheduled to attend on the final day.
The organisers have made arrangements for over five lakh people, with Adivasis expected to arrive from across Upper Assam. The programme will feature exhibitions of artefacts made by tribal communities, traditional Munda and Santhali dances, and a range of cultural performances. Spread across four days, the Mahasabha will host seven sessions, including discussions on education, the economy, and development.
Albert Orea, the working president of the programme, said that small kiosks will be set up along the sidelines of the ground, showcasing a range of handmade and tribal-made products, allowing visitors to buy and sell items produced by the tribal community.
“There is no political significance to the visit,” the leader said, adding that Hemant Soren was invited by the All Adivasi Students’ Union, which represents the Adivasi community.