Adivasi means "first settlers" in Hindi. India harbours more than 70 million indigenous people, members of nearly 500 tribal communities. During medieval times the Gond and the Bhil people ruled sprawling kingdoms. But today the very survival of indigenous communities is threatened by colonial forest laws, displacement through dams, mines, industries as well as social discrimination.
Bhutan is one of the most exclusive
countries in the world. The tiny kingdom on the southern slopes of the
Eastern Himalaya's has only recently introduced television, telephones
and internet. Most of its inhabitants lead a self-contained life deeply
rooted in organic agriculture and Buddhist traditions. Thanks to its
inaccessibility and its sparse population, Bhutan is an ecological paradise.
There is no poverty in Bhutan, but also no political freedom.
Religious fairs, often connected to
a pilgrimage are called "mela" in Hindi. On auspicious days
millions of Hindu believers come from far and wide to a temple town
to take a holy bath and make offerings to the gods. Many meet their
gurus and listen to sermons. The mela is also a huge market and meeting
place for the rich and the poor, for young and old alike. One can find
the true soul of India in these colourful and noisy gatherings
The holy river Narmada transverses central India for 1300 km before joining the sea in Gujarat. In old Hindu scripts Narmada has been described as a vivacious and strong-willed virgin. Thousands of temples line the river's banks since Narmada is revered as mother goddess. The Narmada valley divides India's North and South and has thus been a focal point of natural and cultural history. Today a gigantic dam project is threatening this treasure. In one of India's strongest and most enduring people's movements, hundreds of thousands of farmers and adivasi have protested against their forced displacement.
With its white beaches, lush green hills and rich Buddhist heritage, Sri Lanka has charmed many a visitor. Its original population, the Wedda's have today been reduced to a tiny community surviving in some forest-pockets. While the majority of inhabitants are descendants of immigrants from North India converted to Buddhism around 2000 years ago, there is also a sizeable population of ethnic Tamil Hindus as well as descendants of Muslim immigrants. A bloody ethnic war that has spoiled this jewel of an island for nearly 20 years is hopefully coming to an end soon.
