The first national tribal festival 'Vanaj' featuring around 900 participants from across the country kick-started here today.
"The week-long festival has been organised to conserve and promote the distinctive cultures by providing them a national platform," Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said at the inauguration of the festival.
"As a part of the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for uplifting the quality of tribal lives, the national capital is getting an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate the rich tribal culture and heritage," he added.
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The festival, which will run till February 18, will showcase the rich diversity in tribal art and culture. Various music and dance forms besides tribal cuisine will be the special attraction of the festival.
The minister also announced that the week-long festival will now feature on the annual calender of events of the Tribal Affairs Ministry.
There are approximately 900 participants from Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
A calender on the theme of 'tribal paintings and tribal festivals' was also released at the inauguration.
Besides the cultural programmes, tribal products, medicines, paintings, art and handicrafts will be put on sale at an exhibition. Documentary films and seminar discussions will also be held.
The festival will be held at three venues. The cultural programmes will be held at Central Park in Connaught Place and the sale of tribal products will take place at Baba Kharak Singh Marg. At the third location, in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) cultural programmes as well as sale will be held.
