Intellectual leadership, knowledge, direction, debate, questioning, participation, and representation – are not limited to the so-called mainstream communities. Instead, they hold a very strong presence among communities who have historically been told that their knowledge is ‘backward’. Namely the Nomadic and Denotified Tribes.
Strongly challenging this notion of what constitutes and is accepted as knowledge, this day-long Thane District Level Conference on occasion of Vimukt Din. This Liberation Day of NTDNT communities, brought forth the powerful, creative, artistic, cultural, environmental, historical knowledge that is possessed by these peoples who have carried their cultures, techniques, wisdom and histories through the generations using multiple mediums. Whether that be weaving them into their occupations, songs, dance, music, fashion or other things they create. Not only have they preserved this knowledge despite the persecution and vilification they face, but they share it generously. It is up to the mainstream to be accountable to learning from this knowledge – which they do, but without appropriating it, and without devaluing its creators.
This Conference was a space for the hundreds of NT-DNT women, youth, community leaders and professionals to collectively celebrate their knowledge, reveling in its beauty without any pressures to conform to so-called standards of what is beautiful or intellectual. There was also pain in this celebration, given the history of NT-DNTs… It was also a space for these strong representatives to ask questions and hold accountable different institutions – such as the media, political leadership, police system and administration – asking them, what about our rights? 74 years after the repeal of the Criminal Tribes Act, this 10% of India’s population must not be made to wait any longer for their freedom.