Global tribes to add flavour to Tata Steel's tribal conclave

Tata Steel's manufacturing facilities and mining operations in tribal belts of Jharkhand & Odisha are central to its business

After launching the annual tribal conclave Samvaad in 2014, steel behemoth Tata Steel is taking the calendar event this year to the international level with participation of foreign nationals.

Tribals from Australia, Canada, Zimbabwe, Laos and Kenya are slated to attend the event christened 'Samvaad' or 'Engaging in Conversation' this year to be held in Jamshedpur between November 15 and 19.

Tata Steel's manufacturing facilities and mining operations in the tribal belts of Jharkhand and Odisha in the eastern part of India are central to the company's business.

"This year, we are giving an international flavor to the Samvaad. We are getting aboriginals from Australia and first nation tribals from Canada. Tribals from Laos, Kenya and Zimbabwe will also be attending it. About a dozen delegates from international countries will be here for exchanging of cultures, identifying issues and its solutions," said Biren Bhuta, chief of CSR at Tata Steel.

He said, the presence of foreign tribals will encourage networking and solidarity.

Samvaad is a four-day tribal conclave, hosted at Jamshedpur to commemorate the birth anniversary of the iconic tribal leader Birsa Munda. The theme for this year's event is 'Building Tribal Youth Leadership'.

About 500 tribal youths chosen from across 22 states representing 150 tribal communities will go through a proper leadership programme during the event.

Over and above these 500 youths, a total of 1500 tribals will be attending the event where the top officials of the steel behemoth and other group companies like Taj Group of Hotels, Tata Capital, Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Metaliks would also participate.

The steel major has already conducted regional Samvaad in Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Ranchi and Odisha. There will be 10 workshops on topics like malnutrition, livelihood, social entrepreneurship, peace building, culture preservation, human rights and governance besides the cultural events.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and tribal leader and Padma Shri awardee Tulasi Munda, among others will also grace the four-day long extravaganza.