Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram stressed the need for systematic documentation of tribal literature, folk songs, folktales and oral traditions.

The second edition of the National Tribal Literary Festival 2026 began on Thursday in Delhi, bringing together tribal writers, poets, researchers and language experts from across the country to deliberate on preserving indigenous languages, oral traditions and literary heritage.

Organised by the Union ministry of tribal affairs at the India Habitat Centre as part of the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas Pakhwada, the two-day festival is themed “From Oral Tradition to Contemporary Tribal Literature”.

Inaugurating the festival, Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram stressed the need for systematic documentation of tribal literature, folk songs, folktales and oral traditions, saying the effort must involve not only writers but also lyricists, musicians, folk artists and digital content creators.

“Preserving tribal languages and oral traditions is central to building Viksit Bharat 2047,” the minister said.

Pointing out that several tribal languages do not have a written script and some dialects are on the verge of extinction, Oram said the absence of a script should not become an obstacle to their preservation. Oral traditions could be documented through other Indian languages, he said, adding that the ministry would collaborate with the Sahitya Akademi and other organisations to promote tribal literature.

Inaugurating the festival, Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram stressed the need for systematic documentation of tribal literature, folk songs, folktales and oral traditions, saying the effort must involve not only writers but also lyricists, musicians, folk artists and digital content creators.

“Preserving tribal languages and oral traditions is central to building Viksit Bharat 2047,” the minister said.

Pointing out that several tribal languages do not have a written script and some dialects are on the verge of extinction, Oram said the absence of a script should not become an obstacle to their preservation. Oral traditions could be documented through other Indian languages, he said, adding that the ministry would collaborate with the Sahitya Akademi and other organisations to promote tribal literature.

Minister of state for tribal affairs Durgadas Uikey said the declaration of November 15, the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas was an initiative to bring tribal heroes, freedom fighters and their contributions into the national consciousness. He also presented a ten-point framework covering folktales, songs, heroic sagas, myths, proverbs, riddles, rituals and prayers.

Tribal affairs secretary Ranjana Chopra said the festival provided a platform for emerging writers to interact with established authors and publishers. Emphasising that oral traditions must be documented before they disappear, she said the event would become an annual feature during the Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas Pakhwada.

The first session, titled “Tribal Literature: From Community Memory to Contemporary Expression”, examined the relationship between traditional knowledge and modern literary expression.

K Vasamalli, representing the Toda community of the Nilgiris, spoke about efforts to preserve the endangered Toda language, which has around 2,000 speakers. Her initiatives include radio recordings and a 5,700-word dictionary. She said language was fundamental to preserving a community’s culture and traditions.

Participants also highlighted the need to preserve tribal values amid modernisation. Prof Anil Kumar Boro cited the example of the Mizo community, saying traditional discipline and social values could coexist with urban lifestyles.

A subsequent poets’ meet featured readings in different tribal languages, while a session on folklore explored songs, myths, riddles and oral narratives.

Researcher Lisa Lomdak emphasised that sacred tribal knowledge should be documented and published only with the explicit consent of communities. She also highlighted women’s role in preserving oral traditions through songs and stories passed across generations.

The discussions concluded with suggestions to link state tribal affairs portals with the ministry’s website, digitise archival material held by international institutions and scientifically document indigenous knowledge, including Meghalaya’s living root bridges.

The second day will feature discussions on oral epics, heroic traditions and the role of oral knowledge in multilingual education, besides story and poetry readings in tribal languages.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headlines)

Social activist Bunker Roy, founder of Barefoot College, passes away at 81 in Tilonia, Rajasthan.

‘He transcended conventional notions of formal education, proving that illiterate and semi-literate villagers, especially women, possessed the wisdom, skill, and capability to build, innovate, and lead.’ Social activist Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy, founder of Barefoot College, passed away in Tilonia at 81. Known for championing rural self-reliance, Roy empowered women as solar engineers, transforming remote villages in India and abroad. How did Roy’s grassroots approach reshape rural empowerment?

Social activist and educator Sanjit “Bunker” Roy died on 10 November 2026 at his home in Tilonia, Rajasthan, at the age of 81. Roy, who founded the Barefoot College in 1972, was widely recognised for his pioneering work in rural development, women’s empowerment, and community-led innovation. He passed away peacefully in the presence of his wife, Aruna Roy, and close associates. His funeral was scheduled for the same day in Tilonia.

According to Hindustan Times, Roy was educated at The Doon School and St Stephen’s College, Delhi, but chose to dedicate his life to grassroots work after witnessing rural hardships. He established the Social Work and Research Centre in Tilonia, which evolved into Barefoot College, focusing on water, irrigation, education, healthcare, and renewable energy for rural communities.

As reported by The Indian Express, Roy’s approach was shaped by Gandhian philosophy, emphasising decentralisation of technology and empowering villagers, especially women, to become self-reliant. He believed that formal education was not a prerequisite for solving rural problems and that local knowledge should be conserved and respected.

Roy’s most celebrated initiative was the solar electrification programme, which trained rural women, many of them illiterate or semi-literate, as solar engineers. These “Solar Mamas” assembled, installed, and maintained solar lighting systems, bringing electricity to remote villages in India and abroad as detailed here. The programme expanded internationally, with women from several countries coming to Tilonia for training.

Mid-career, Roy received several prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri in 1986 and the Jamnalal Bajaj Award in 1985. In 2010, he was named among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people for his grassroots social entrepreneurship as coverage revealed. Barefoot College has trained over three million people for jobs such as solar engineers, teachers, midwives, weavers, and more, often in basic facilities designed to make students feel comfortable and respected.

“He transcended conventional notions of formal education, proving that illiterate and semi-literate villagers, especially women, possessed the wisdom, skill, and capability to build, innovate, and lead,” said Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, as quoted in national tributes.

Roy’s philosophy was rooted in the belief that rural communities should not depend entirely on outside experts for basic services. His institution also pioneered night schools for children who worked during the day, rainwater harvesting, and the revival of traditional crafts as reporting indicated. His wife, Aruna Roy, herself a noted activist, was a key collaborator in many of these initiatives.

Tributes from political leaders and activists described Roy as a visionary who empowered rural India through self-reliance and sustainable development. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor highlighted his lifelong commitment to Gandhian principles and his transformative impact on rural education and livelihoods at the end of their statements.

“Bunker Roy passed away peacefully at 6.15 am this morning with Aruna and others around him. He went as he wanted to, in his own home in Tilonia, surrounded by some of the countless people who loved and cared for him deeply and passionately,” his family and colleagues stated.

Roy’s legacy includes not only the Barefoot College but also a global movement for community-driven development. His work demonstrated that innovative solutions to poverty and inequality can emerge from within rural communities themselves as analysis showed. He is survived by his wife, Aruna Roy, and is remembered as a pioneer who redefined the fight against poverty in India and beyond.

source/content: thequint.com (headline edited)

India’s association with the Horizon programme is seen as part of the comprehensive strategic agenda of the two sides for the next five years.

India and the European Union have concluded negotiations on New Delhi’s association with a Euro 93.5 billion flagship research and innovation programme, paving the way for expanded collaboration under their broader strategic partnership.

The decision comes weeks before India and the 27-nation bloc are set to seal a landmark free trade agreement — billed as the “mother of all deals” — to create a market of two billion people.

The European Commission and India have successfully concluded negotiations on New Delhi’s association with the Horizon Europe programme, the EU said.

This marks an important step forward for EU-India relations, strengthening scientific cooperation, creating new opportunities in research, and deepening the strategic partnership, it said.

India’s association with the Horizon programme is seen as part of the comprehensive strategic agenda of the two sides for the next five years.

For researchers, businesses and research organisations across Europe, India’s association will open up more opportunities to collaborate with Indian partners and build lasting scientific and technological links, the EU said.

Once the agreement is signed and the necessary procedures are completed on both sides, researchers and organisations in India will be able to receive funding directly from Horizon Europe and lead collaborative projects under its Pillar II: ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’, it said.

This is the largest part of the programme which funds collaborative, multi-national research and innovation projects tackling societal and technological issues, such as health, digital, industry, space, climate, energy, and bioeconomy.

The EU said the move will create new opportunities for European and Indian partners to pool expertise, develop technologies and address shared challenges.

Association is the closest form of cooperation offered by the EU to non-EU countries under Horizon Europe.

It allows organisations in associated countries to participate on equal terms with their EU counterparts in the parts of the programme covered by the agreement. In return, associated countries contribute financially to the programme.

The successful conclusion of negotiations clears the way for the signature of the association agreement, subject to the completion of the necessary procedures on both sides. The two sides are likely to sign the formal agreement in January.

India and the EU had launched the exploratory discussions on the Horizon programme in February 2026, and formal negotiations began in July.

EU-India scientific cooperation builds on the agreement for scientific and technological cooperation, signed in 2001 and renewed until 2030.

Research and innovation also form an integral part of the Joint EU-India Comprehensive Strategic Agenda towards 2030, adopted at the summit talks between the two sides in New Delhi on January 27.

The partnership has been strengthened through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council, which facilitates collaboration on key digital areas such as artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure, semiconductors, high-performance computing, digital skills and the sixth generation of wireless telecommunications.

The EU and India took a further step in collaboration on digital skills through the launch of the first-ever European Legal Gateway Office in India last February, aiming to facilitate safe, legal and well-informed mobility to the EU in the ICT sector.

Horizon Europe runs from 2021 to 2027, with a budget of 93.5 billion euro.

International cooperation is central to the programme, bringing together expertise and resources to advance scientific excellence and innovation.

Currently, 23 non-EU countries are associated with Horizon Europe. They are Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Egypt, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye, Tunisia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The India and EU ties have witnessed a major upswing in the last few years. The two sides are set to sign the free trade deal next month.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

United Nations, India’s water management initiatives have emerged as a model for developing countries, a senior World Bank official said, while lauding the country’s efforts to improve access to drinking water, restore rivers, and strengthen dam safety.

Global Director for Water at the World Bank Group Saroj Kumar Jha described India’s progress as a “remarkable success story”, saying developing nations were looking at its experience for solutions to their water challenges.

“For the World Bank Group, India is a remarkable success story. It’s the water journey that every single developing country is looking at,” Jha said in response to a PTI question during a virtual press briefing on Friday ahead of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference.

The conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, will be held in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 10, bringing together world leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders to strengthen international cooperation on water security and sanitation.

Jha highlighted several Indian initiatives, including the Jal Jeevan Mission, Namami Gange and Swachh Bharat Mission, saying they offered practical solutions that other countries could replicate.

“We are looking at the entire system of water management in India,” he said, acknowledging that the country still faced challenges and had considerable work to do.

“What they have done in this field is really remarkable, at the state level and the central government level,” he said.

Jha said during his most recent visit to New Delhi and in meetings with Government of India officials, he has encouraged them to use the UN Water Conference as a “platform and to extensively share these experiences with other countries because India has done what other countries are now trying to work on, and India offers the how-to part of the water solution.”

He said India had already achieved progress in areas where other developing countries were still working to find solutions.

Highlighting the Jal Jeevan Mission, Jha said: “Reaching 800 million people in less than seven years with access to improved drinking water is remarkable.”

He described the scale of India’s efforts to improve drinking water access in urban and rural areas as “unprecedented”, adding that the programme continued to evolve with greater emphasis on sustainability, operations and maintenance.

Noting that Nigeria’s ‘Clean Nigeria’ campaign was influenced by India’s sanitation initiative ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’, he said: “What India has done is already spreading to many other countries across the globe, and particularly countries in the South are looking at Jal Jeevan Mission as a good model to replicate with popular participation of people, government-strong leadership, adequate financing at all levels.”

On the Namami Gange Programme, he said the initiative had “been remarkably successful” in reducing pollution in the Ganga and improving the river’s overall health.

He added that the World Bank had supported the National Mission for Clean Ganga through various financing instruments.

“Rivers are not just rivers; they are part of our civilisation, part of the human system. People depend on these rivers for their livelihood,” Jha said.

On dam safety, he said World Bank funding had helped India improve the resilience of nearly 900 dams, while the country had also established centres of excellence to strengthen technical expertise.

Jha also praised India’s urban water management efforts, particularly initiatives encouraging creditworthy municipalities to access capital markets to improve services.

Meanwhile, Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Stephanie Rambler said India was “very active” in preparations for the conference.

She said India was expected to send a large high-level government delegation and organise a side event on ‘river cities’, focusing on water security and resilience.

The conference will feature seven plenary meetings and six interactive dialogues, alongside several special events aimed at accelerating progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6, which seeks to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Ranjeev Puri was elected Michigan House Speaker, while Priya Sundareshan was chosen as President of Arizona’s Senate after the US midterm elections.

In a historic first, two Indian-Americans will take the reins of legislative chambers in US states. State Representative Ranjeev Puri was elected Speaker of Michigan’s House of Representatives after the US midterm elections last week. State Senator Priya Sundareshan was chosen to lead Arizona’s Senate as its President. Both Puri and Sundareshan are Democrats. The Democratic Party defeated the Republican Party in midterm elections.

Born in 1984 to Sikh immigrants from Punjab, Puri started his political career by working on President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. After graduating with an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, he worked in financial consulting. Puri was elected to the Michigan House in 2020 and soon took over as majority whip, responsible for securing votes and ensuring party discipline in 2023-24.

Puri took over as his party’s leader in the House in January 2025. His legislative work has focused on gun control, promoting economic growth and major infrastructure investments in Michigan.

Speaking in a television interview after his election, Puri attributed the Democratic Party’s victory to widespread dissatisfaction with the Iran war and the impact of US President Trump’s tariffs that decimated the state’s agricultural sector.

A similar set of factors propelled Priya Sundareshan and the Democratic Party to victory in Arizona, a crucial swing state. Sundareshan was first elected to the state’s upper House in 2022. She won a commanding victory to secure her third term. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Arizona, Sundareshan’s career before politics focused on environmental protection.

She taught natural resources law at the University of Arizona and worked on resource management with the Environmental Defense Fund. She took over as her party’s leader in the Arizona Senate in January 2025.

Indian-American Impact, a Democratic-aligned political advocacy organisation that supports candidates of South Asian origin, welcomed the elevations of the two amid rising anti-Indian sentiment.

“Congratulations to Ranjeev Puri on his reelection and on being elected Speaker-Elect by his colleagues. Ranjeev has made lowering costs central to his work, from health care to housing. At a time of rising hate targeting South Asians, he will also fight to protect our communities and all Michiganders, and to stop the Trump and MAGA agenda,” said Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact.

He said Sundareshan will fight for public schools, Arizona’s water, and democracy, and to protect their communities and all Arizonans at a time of rising hate targeting Indian and South Asian Americans.

Indian Americans, including Pooja Sethi, who won a seat in the Texas House, and North Carolina state Senator Jay Chaudhuri, won state-level races. In New York, Lisa Kaul, an India-raised Rhodes scholar, flipped a Republican-held state Senate seat around Poughkeepsie. In Maryland, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller was re-elected alongside Governor Wes Moore.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Shivani Gupta will begin her three-year term in January 2027′

Indian diplomat Shivani Gupta has been elected to the UN’s Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) for the 2027-2029 term.

India’s Permanent Mission to the UN expressed its gratitude to all UN member states for their trust and support as it announced Ms. Gupta’s election. She will begin her three-year term in January 2027.

The ACABQ, a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly, consists of 21 members appointed by the Assembly in their individual capacities.

The members are elected for a period of three years to ensure accountability and efficiency in utilising member states’ contributions in support of the UN’s global work.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Nithya Raman, 45, a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4, defeated incumbent Karen Bass, 73, in the November 3 election.

Nithya Raman, who left Thiruvananthapuram for the US at the age of six, is back in the spotlight in her hometown, with her family’s pride soaring as she prepares to become the mayor of Los Angeles .

For her relatives in the Keralam capital, Raman’s electoral triumph is an emotional moment, bringing back memories of her early childhood in the Fort area, close to the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple.

Her paternal aunt, Vanaja Sankar, who lives in Kumarapuram, recalled the family’s ties with the city and said she was happy about Raman’s historic win.

Raman’s father worked at the state-run Keltron, while her mother was employed in a bank. He first moved to Mumbai and later to the US for higher studies when Nithya was around five, her first cousin Vidhya Sankar said.

“After her father left, Nithya and her mother stayed for about a year at her maternal home in Thrissur. When she turned six, both of them also moved to the US,” Vidhya told a television channel.

Though she left Keralam at a young age, Raman has stayed connected to her family and roots in the state.

Tamil was spoken at home, and she speaks it fluently, the family said.

She knows Hindi and understands Malayalam, though her cousin said she may not be as proficient in speaking it now.

“We are very excited. Nithya has visited here several times. Her last visit was about five years ago, when she brought her two children to meet her paternal grandfather here,” Vidhya said.

The family said popular South Indian actor Abhirami (of ‘Virumaandi’-fame) is Raman’s cousin. Vidhya shared old photographs of Nithya and Abhirami with their grandfather, offering a glimpse into their childhood bond.

For the relatives, the old photographs and memories have acquired special significance after Raman’s remarkable political achievement.

“May Nithya achieve everything she wishes for. We are all proud of her,” Vidhya said.

The family members said they were delighted that someone who had spent her early years in Thiruvananthapuram had gone on to make a mark in public life in the US.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister V D Satheesan congratulated Raman on her victory, describing it as an inspiration to the people of Keralam and the global Malayali community.

In a post on X, Satheesan said the victory was historic, noting that she would become the 44th mayor of Los Angeles and the first South Asian American to hold the post. Describing her as a daughter of Keralam who had made her mark in urban planning and public service far from home, he wished her success in serving the city and its people.

Raman, 45, a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing District 4, defeated incumbent Karen Bass, 73, in the November 3 election. Bass conceded defeat on Thursday.

With her victory, the two largest US cities, New York and Los Angeles, will have mayors of South Asian descent. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who took office in January 2026, is a Democratic Socialist.

An urban planner by training, Raman graduated from Harvard University and later earned a postgraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

She was among several Indian-American candidates who won in the 2026 US midterm elections, in which the Democrats made significant gains and secured control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Indian American Impact said Raman’s victory reflected the growing political representation of South Asian Americans in California, home to more than one million people of South Asian origin.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headlines edited)

The decision was taken at the 11th Session of the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register held in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) said.

Manuscripts of the epic Mahabharata, Kalhana’s 12th-century historical chronicle Rajatarangini, and Kautilya’s Arthashastra, a work on governance and statecraft, have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, officials said on Thursday.

PIB Culture made the announcement on X and shared photos of UNESCO certificates.

“A moment of immense pride for India! The Rajatarangini, Mahabharata and Arthashastra have been inscribed in @UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, marking a historic milestone in the global recognition of India’s rich civilisational heritage!” it said.

The decision was taken at the 11th Session of the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register held in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) said.

According to an official, the IGNCA played an important role in preparing the nomination dossiers for all three works.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat hailed the inscriptions as a landmark recognition of India’s extraordinary documentary and civilisational heritage.

“A moment of immense pride for India! The inclusion of Rajatarangini, Mahabharata and Arthashastra in @UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register is a landmark recognition of India’s extraordinary documentary and civilisational heritage,” he posted.

“These timeless works embody our rich traditions of historical inquiry, philosophical thought and statecraft, whose wisdom continues to inspire humanity. Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, India’s civilisational legacy is receiving unprecedented global recognition and its rightful place on the world stage,” the minister added.

With the recognition, India’s historical, literary, philosophical and political thought receives wider international acknowledgement, taking the country’s total number of inscriptions in the Regional Register to six, officials said.

Illustrated manuscripts of the Ramcharitamanas, featuring intricate miniature paintings, preserving Tulsidas’ work; a rare 15th-century manuscript containing animal fables and moral stories from the Panchatantra; and the manuscript of the Sahrdayaloka-Locana, a text of Indian poetics, were inscribed in the regional register in 2024.

The official termed the inscriptions a recognition of India’s knowledge traditions that contributed to human understanding of history, ethical values, philosophy, Dharma and good governance, and represent dimensions of India’s intellectual heritage.

According to the certificates shared by PIB Culture on X, the three inscriptions are officially named: ‘The Birch-bark (burjapatra) Manuscript of Mahabharata — A Perennial Epic of South Asia’ housed at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune; ‘Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Ancient palm-leaf Manuscript on Governance and Statecraft’ housed at Oriental Research Institute, Mysuru; and ‘The Manuscript of Rajatarangini by Kalhana: A Twelfth-century Chronicle of Kashmir’ housed at Oriental Research Library, Sri Pratap Singh Library Complex, Srinagar.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)