Odisha Governor Brajmohan Ram on Sunday, 15 November 2026, called for urgent action to preserve and promote tribal literature, languages, and traditional knowledge, describing them as indispensable pillars of India's diverse cultural heritage. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the All India Tribal Writers' Meet held at Rabindra Mandap, Bhubaneswar.

The occasion and its significance

The event was jointly organised by the Sahitya Akademi and the Odisha Sahitya Academy to mark Janjatiya Gaurav Divas and the 151st birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Governor Ram paid tribute to Birsa Munda, noting that the declaration of 15 November as Janjatiya Gaurav Divas in 2021 was a landmark step in recognising the contributions and sacrifices of tribal communities across India.

He emphasised that India's freedom struggle and the broader story of nation-building could not be fully understood without acknowledging the central role played by tribal heroes throughout history.

What the Governor said on tribal literature

'Tribal communities have preserved their history, culture and traditional knowledge through folk songs, stories and proverbs, passing them down through generations. Documenting and protecting this rich heritage is a collective responsibility,' Governor Ram said.

He stressed that tribal literature reflects the lived history, traditions, experiences, and worldview of tribal communities — enriching India's literary and cultural landscape in ways that formal, urban-centric narratives often overlook. He urged tribal writers to tell the stories of their communities in their own voices, covering struggles, achievements, aspirations, and traditions.

Odisha's tribal heritage in focus

Highlighting Odisha's rich tribal legacy, the Governor noted that every tribal community possesses its own language, folk songs, customs, and way of life. He pointed to the Mahendragiri hills and the Eastern Ghats as vital centres of tribal life, faith, and traditional knowledge.

Ram also drew attention to the deep cultural links between nature worship, Daru Devata, and Lord Jagannath in Odisha's traditions — an interweaving of tribal and mainstream religious heritage that is unique to the region.

Climate, development, and the path ahead

The Governor argued that tribal communities' close relationship with nature — their reverence for Jal, Jangal, and Zameen (water, forest, and land) — holds valuable lessons for addressing contemporary climate change and environmental challenges.

Connecting tribal welfare to national development goals, Ram said progress under Viksit Bharat by 2047 and Viksit Odisha by 2036 would be meaningful only when tribal communities become equal partners in the process, while retaining their cultural identity and traditions.

Call to institutions and tribal youth

Ram called upon the Sahitya Akademi, universities, research institutions, and publishers to actively promote writing, research, publication, and translation in tribal languages. He said literature emerging from Odisha, Jharkhand, the Northeast, and Central India should reach readers across the country and beyond its borders.

He also urged tribal youth to embrace modern education and technology without losing their connection to mother tongues and cultural roots — framing the challenge not as a choice between tradition and modernity, but as a navigation of both.