E-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart will help tribal artisans from 18 states across India in breaking the psychological barriers keeping them from reaping the benefits of online retailing – an initiative that would not have been possible without Tata Steel’s annual tribal conclave Samvaad, set to begin on November 15 in Jamshedpur.
In its sixth edition of Samvaad, Tata Steel has decided to invite representatives of E-commerce giants for interaction with tribal artisans, who would attend the conclave, officials from the steel major said on Thursday. “We will have representatives of companies like Amazon and Flipkart at the conclave.
They will explain the tribal artisans about the various benefits of online retailing and also help them in using the platforms for retailing their tribal art,” said Sourav Roy, Chief of Corporate Social Responsibility, Tata Steel.
At a time when the demand for tribal art has witnessed a spurt on Ecommerce platforms, many tribal artisans are still unaware of the ways they can sell their products online, said Roy, adding that many tribal artisans are apprehensive as there are prerequisites such as a GST number and ITR for being eligible to use Ecommerce platforms as sellers.
“Around 90 tribal artisans from 18 states and three to four countries will attend the Samvaad.
It will not only be a platform for cultural exchange but also for adding a fillip to livelihood generation through indigenous art forms,” he said.
This year’s Samvaad will be held at Gopal Maidan in Jamshedpur from November 15 to November 19 and Tata Steel is expecting a footfall of at least 1,500 at the conclave. The first Samvaad was held in 2014 and since then it has grown in stature and reach.
The conclave provides a platform where members of tribes from different places of India and abroad come under the same roof and participate in various events that act as a fulcrum for bonding between different tribal groups.
“We have 32 tribal groups in Jharkhand. And we are planning to bring at least one member of each of the tribe groups to Samvaad on November 15 – the Statehood Day of Jharkhand. I don’t think this has happened before,” said Roy.
Besides artisans, Samvaad will also be attended by around 80 tribal healers from 13 states and five countries. These tribal healers will showcase their indigenous treatments for various diseases.
Officials from the CSR team of Tata Steel said that even the World Health Organization (WHO) is now focusing on indigenous medicines and the tribal ways of treating ailments can play a great role in it.
Representatives from tribal groups in Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia, Uganda, South Africa, Laos and many more countries will attend the conclave. Tata Steel has invited experts from the Taj Group of hotels to specially focus on tribal cuisines at the conclave. Tata Steel aims to add authentic tribal dishes to a special menu in the Taj group of hotels.
