Tribes in India

India is a country of diversity and it is very interesting that there is diversity even in diversity. There is a popular saying about India - ‘कोस-कोस पर बदले पानी और चार कोस पर वाणी…’ People living in the same district also speak the same language in different ways. There is similar diversity in the social fabric here. People of thousands of castes of many religions live here. One of those ethnic groups is called Adivasi. According to the Government of India, the group of socio-economically deprived people has been called Scheduled Tribe. 8.6% of the total population of India falls under the category of Scheduled Tribes. Out of this, 90 percent population lives in villages and 10 percent population lives in urban areas. More than 700 tribes have been notified in Article 342 of the Indian Constitution. In many states, the tribes forms the majority of the total population, like in Mizoram 94.4 percent of the total population is tribal, 94% in Lakshadweep, 86.1% in Meghalaya and 86.5% in Nagaland. The largest tribe in India is Bhil, which is 38% of the total tribal population. They reside in Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tripura etc. Following it, there is Gond tribe which is 35% of the total tribe and they live in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar and Odisha. Apart from these, tribes like Aaka, Dafla, Apatani, Mishmi, Khampti, Singpho, Kuki, Khasi, Garo, Lepcha, Bhotiya, Tharu, etc. live in the Himalayan region.

About 55% of the total tribal population of India lives in the Central India region, Khond, Gond, Santhal, Oraon, Maria, Munda, Juang, Kharia, Bhumij, Baiga, Muria, etc. are prominent among them. Tribes like Bharwad, Bhil, Damor, Barodia, Dhanwar, Girsia, Gond, Katkari, Dhodia, Kokana, Koli, Minas, Siddi, Warli, etc. live in the Western India region. Whereas the South India region is inhabited by tribes like Kurumba, Kadar, Toda, Chenchu, Irula, Paniya, Badaga, Kota etc. Onges, Jarawas, Great Andamanese, North Sentinelese, etc. tribes live in the island region of India.

Culture and beliefs
The tribes living in a distinct geographical location possess distinct characteristics like distinct culture, costumes, ways of worship and deities. Most of the tribes are nature worshippers. The tribes residing in Tripura celebrate festivals like Kharchi Puja, Garia Puja, Ker Puja, Biju Mahotsav, Tirtha Mukh Mahotsav, Ashokashtami, Ganga Puja, Lampra Puja, Vah Mahotsav etc. Kaksar festival is the main festival of Abujhmadia tribes. This festival is known for helping many unmarried young men and women in choosing the best life partner for themselves. Ratannava is the main festival of Baiga tribes living in Mandla district. The roots of this festival can be traced back to their sacred book called Purana Purusha Naga-Baiga. Two major festivals of the tribes of Chhotanagpur plateau are Karma and Sarhul. Each tribe has different festivals which are celebrated all-round the year like Buru, Maghe, Fagu among Mundas; Maghe, Chaudi, Fagu, Jatra; Aadya, Ghaghra Puja among Mal Pahadias; Airok, Japar, Sakarat, Bhagsim among Santhals and Dabhuri, Kolom, Chhath among Hos’. Thus, various gestures and images of festivals exist in tribal communities.

Rituals like Namkaran, marriage, Gotra Bandhan are also inspired by nature. Similarly, different tribes have different rituals regarding marriage, birth and death rituals. Most of the worship methods of the tribes are from Sanatan Dharma. Most of the tribes celebrate festivals like Holi, Deepawali and Basant Panchami. On the auspicious day of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada which is regarded as New Year according to Hindu calendar, festivals like Rangali Bihu (Assam), Laichairoba (Manipur), Chapcharkoot (Mizoram), Mopin (Arunachal Pradesh) etc. are celebrated with different names and ways.

Tribal Education
Education is a fundamental human right and an essential element for human development that in turn is proven instrumental in national building. But tribal societies are stagnant in terms of educational and scientific advancement, and social change in the community is very slow because they are economically backward. For this reason, even till 1961, the tribal literacy rate in India was only 8.5%. After this, governments started awareness campaigns about tribal education, residential schools started being built, due to which the literacy rate increased to some extent. Tribal education got the maximum boost due to reservation, which proved to be a boon for the tribals. The Census of India 2011 revealed that the tribal education rate in India increased to 63.1%. There were many challenges to education in tribal areas, such as language barriers, early dropout, poverty, teacher absenteeism, poor school infrastructure, poor teacher-student ratio, etc.

To deal with these, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has started the Eklavya Model Residential School Scheme. Eklavya Model Residential School was started in 1997-98 from class 6 to class 8, later it was expanded to class 12, Surya Foundation is also running such schools whose students are also touching the great heights in various fields.

Surya Eklavya Sainik School
Gujarat Government Sainik School was established in 2004 amidst the Aravalli hills at Kherancha in Aravalli district in Gujarat. Later in 2010, this school was given to Surya Foundation as Surya Eklavya Sainik School under the cooperative system of Public-Private Partnership. This school works on three values – Education, Valour and Values. Under the guidance of Padmashree Jayprakash Aggarwal ji, this school is working to provide quality education, military training to the students and inculcate the qualities of true nationalists in them. The school currently has 462 cadets, each class has two sections and each section has 40 students. English is used as the medium of instruction from class 7th to class 12th. This school has established itself as one of the best schools in the state of Gujarat in education, sports and youth development. In academics, 100% students passed with flying colours in class 10th and 12th and students have won hundreds of awards in sports at the district, state and national levels.

The objective of the school is to bring the students into the mainstream through quality education, enable them to qualify for higher education opportunities and provide all opportunities to the students to develop their personality So that they become good citizens who play a major role in shaping the destiny of India. Surya Eklavya Sainik School aims to mainstream the tribal students academically, physically and psychologically.

Activities
Military training - There is a provision for military training in the school to enhance the leadership abilities of the students and develop the spirit of team work among them. Students undergo military training under the guidance of skilled instructors who are associated with the army. This training helps in improving stamina and agility in the students. Obstacle courses and drills are part of this activity, drills develop the sense of discipline in the students. The military training builds their curiosity to join the army, along with this, they also become patient, strong and responsible citizens in social life.

National Cadet Corps (NCC) - The motto of National Cadet Corps is "Unity and Discipline", it plays an important role in building the personality of a cadet. 50 cadets of Surya Eklavya Sainik School got recognition in Junior Division of NCC in 2010, which has gradually increased to 150 cadets today. 5 NCC cadets of the school participated in Army Camp in the year 2018, 2 cadets participated in Republic Day Camp on 26 January, 2018 and 2019. Hobby Club – Hobby classes play a very important role in the development of youth. School Students Hobby Club has been formed to promote cultural, sports, social and science based activities.

The following clubs have been formed in the school for various activities - Computer Club, Science Club, Eco Club, Photography Club, Legal Literacy Club, Naturopathy Club, Dance and Drama Club, Art and Craft Club, Music Club etc. Sports- Sports not only increase cooperation, duty and discipline, they also improve mood and concentration, increase self-confidence and reduce depression and anxiety. Surya Eklavya Sainik School provides excellent sports facilities to the cadets like Football, Handball, Athletics, Archery, Karate, Basketball, Table-Tennis, Volleyball, Badminton etc.

Other activity - Various literary activities are conducted by Surya Eklavya Sainik School. These enable cadets to build their literary skills and excel in languages. Debate, group song, speech, rangoli, science quiz, mathematics quiz, drawing, sports, music competition, inter-house prayer activities, English/Hindi essay writing competitions, creative writing, library week etc. activities also help in physical and mental development of the cadets.

Accommodation – Cadets of Surya Ekalavya Sainik School are divided into six residences that symbolize the values of the school. Students develop a sense of belonging and unity by being part of a specific residence. The names of these houses are Manekshaw House, Cariappa House, Somnath House, Albert Ekka House, Khetrapal House and Vikram House. The residences are named after the brave soldiers who fought for the country with great courage to uphold the values of courage, love and intelligence.

Facilities provided to students - The following facilities are provided to the students studying in Surya Eklavya Sainik School
(1) Hostel with basic facilities.
(2) Dress and daily use items (regular school dress, sports dress, home dress, night dress, etc. and daily use items like soap, hair oil, towel, handkerchief, etc.).
(3) Stationary items (like textbooks, notebooks, geometry boxes, erasers, sharpeners, etc.)
(4) Balanced diet.
(5) RO drinking water.
(6) Vehicles for commuting.
(7) JEE, NEET and NDA coaching.
(8) Medical Facilities:- The school has a well-equipped 4 bedded medical room and qualified nursing assistants. Medical checkups and basic first aid are provided here on a regular basis.
(9) Naturopathy:- Naturopathy is an ancient kind of therapy which is adopted to cure diseases without using modern day drugs and its side effects. However, cadets of Surya Eklavya Sainik School have adopted it as a healthy lifestyle to boost immunity. Following activities are done under naturopathy
(i) Sun bath.
(ii) Mud bath.
(iii) Pump bath.
(iv) Fasting - water and fruits.
(v) Enema.
(vi) Salt gargle.
(vii) Nasal Cleaning (Jalneti).
(viii) Sesame oil Massage

Kanya Shiksha Parisar
Impressed by Surya Eklavya Sainik School, the Madhya Pradesh government has entrusted the responsibility of running the Kanya Shiksha Parishad School located in Sehore to Surya Foundation on PPP mode. 474 girl students coming from the tribal community of Madhya Pradesh study in this school. This residential school is also moving forward on the path of Surya Eklavya Sainik School.