Voice of Care- Heritage and Health Yatra
At Atmashakti, we recognize the vital role that sports play in the cultural identity and community well-being of indigenous peoples. Our Indigenous Cultural Revival initiative aims to celebrate, preserve, and revitalize the rich traditions and heritage of tribal communities through engaging in traditional sports. The mission of our Indigenous Cultural Revival & Sports program is to honor the unique cultural practices of Indigenous communities while promoting health and social cohesion.
We believe that traditional sports not only enhance physical fitness but also serve as a medium for giving expression, storytelling, community bonding, and cultural pride.
Our key focus is on:
Heritage and Health Yatra: A series of community-focused events that bring together tribal members to participate in traditional sports and cultural activities. These gatherings foster unity among tribes, celebrate shared heritage, and promote physical fitness.
Workshops and Training: We conduct workshops to teach the skills and rules of traditional sports, ensuring that knowledge is passed down through generations. These training sessions also emphasize the importance of teamwork, resilience, and cultural pride.
Cultural Exchange Initiatives: Our program facilitates exchanges between different indigenous communities, allowing them to showcase their unique sports and traditions. This not only enriches cultural understanding but also strengthens inter-community ties.
Health and Wellness Campaigns: By integrating health education into sports activities, we promote overall well-being and encourage healthy lifestyles within tribal communities. These campaigns focus on preventive health care, nutrition, and the benefits of physical activity.
Voice of Care- Heritage and Health Yatra The Heritage and Health Yatra comes at a critical juncture for tribal communities in India, who are grappling with unprecedented challenges due to modernization, displacement, and the erosion of traditional governance structures, notably the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) and the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Despite holding invaluable knowledge in sustainable farming, nutrition, and health, this traditional wisdom is rapidly fading. Alarmingly, malnutrition rates in tribal areas are high, with 45% of children under five being stunted and around 70% of women and children suffering from anemia. The Yatra seeks to integrate this traditional knowledge into development frameworks and policy discussions, aiming to address health disparities while also reviving cultural pride and strengthening community cohesion.
Yatra will focus on the following:
Cultural Revival: Document and promote traditional agricultural practices, health systems, and cultural expressions—such as music, dance, and art—across tribal regions in India.
Community Empowerment: Foster grassroots ownership by involving community members as documenters and cultural ambassadors, with an emphasis on youth leadership.
Health and Nutrition Improvement: Incorporate traditional food systems and health practices into government programs, such as Anganwadi and mid-day meal schemes, to combat malnutrition and anemia.
Policy Advocacy: Utilize data and documentation from the Yatra to advocate for effective implementation of PESA and FRA, ensuring the rights of tribal communities to land, forests, and resources.
The Yatra will span all ten PESA states—Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana—engaging with over 200 tribal communities and will in turn benefit over 100000 tribal families.
Our key focus is on:
Heritage and Health Yatra: A series of community-focused events that bring together tribal members to participate in traditional sports and cultural activities. These gatherings foster unity among tribes, celebrate shared heritage, and promote physical fitness.
Workshops and Training: We conduct workshops to teach the skills and rules of traditional sports, ensuring that knowledge is passed down through generations. These training sessions also emphasize the importance of teamwork, resilience, and cultural pride.
Cultural Exchange Initiatives: Our program facilitates exchanges between different indigenous communities, allowing them to showcase their unique sports and traditions. This not only enriches cultural understanding but also strengthens inter-community ties.
Health and Wellness Campaigns: By integrating health education into sports activities, we promote overall well-being and encourage healthy lifestyles within tribal communities. These campaigns focus on preventive health care, nutrition, and the benefits of physical activity.
Voice of Care- Heritage and Health Yatra The Heritage and Health Yatra comes at a critical juncture for tribal communities in India, who are grappling with unprecedented challenges due to modernization, displacement, and the erosion of traditional governance structures, notably the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) and the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Despite holding invaluable knowledge in sustainable farming, nutrition, and health, this traditional wisdom is rapidly fading. Alarmingly, malnutrition rates in tribal areas are high, with 45% of children under five being stunted and around 70% of women and children suffering from anemia. The Yatra seeks to integrate this traditional knowledge into development frameworks and policy discussions, aiming to address health disparities while also reviving cultural pride and strengthening community cohesion.
Yatra will focus on the following:
Cultural Revival: Document and promote traditional agricultural practices, health systems, and cultural expressions—such as music, dance, and art—across tribal regions in India.
Community Empowerment: Foster grassroots ownership by involving community members as documenters and cultural ambassadors, with an emphasis on youth leadership.
Health and Nutrition Improvement: Incorporate traditional food systems and health practices into government programs, such as Anganwadi and mid-day meal schemes, to combat malnutrition and anemia.
Policy Advocacy: Utilize data and documentation from the Yatra to advocate for effective implementation of PESA and FRA, ensuring the rights of tribal communities to land, forests, and resources.
The Yatra will span all ten PESA states—Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana—engaging with over 200 tribal communities and will in turn benefit over 100000 tribal families.