Foreign delegates to add flavour to Tata Steel’s tribal conclave

After launching the annual tribal conclave Samvaad in 2014, steel behemoth Tata Steel is taking the calendar event this year to the international level with participation by foreign nationals.

Tribals from Australia, Canada, Zimbabwe, Laos and Kenya are slated to attend the event christened ‘Samvaad’ or 'Engaging in Conversation’ this year to be held in Jamshedpur between November 15 and November 19.

Tata Steel’s manufacturing facilities and mining operations in the tribal belts of Jharkhand and Odisha in the eastern part of India are central to the company’s business.

“This year, we are providing an international flavour to Samvaad. We are bringing aboriginals from Australia and first nation tribals from Canada. Tribals from Laos, Kenya and Zimbabwe will also be attending. About a dozen delegates from foreign countries will be here for an exchange of cultures, identifying issues and seeking solutions,” said Biren Bhuta, chief of CSR at Tata Steel. He said the presence of foreign tribals would encourage networking and solidarity. Samvaad is a four-day tribal conclave hosted in Jamshedpur to commemorate the birth anniversary of iconic tribal leader Birsa Munda. The theme for this year’s event is ‘Building Tribal Youth Leadership’.

About 500 tribal youths chosen from 22 states representing 150 tribal communities will go through a leadership programme during the event.

Over and above these 500 youths, a total of 1,500 tribals will be attending the event where senior executives of Tata Steel and other Tata group companies like the Taj Group of Hotels, Tata Capital, Tata Motors, Tata Chemicals and Tata Metaliks will be present.

The steel major has already conducted regional Samvaad in Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and Odisha. There will be 10 workshops on topics like malnutrition, livelihood, social entrepreneurship, peace building, culture preservation, human rights and governance besides cultural events.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and tribal leader and Padma Shri awardee Tulasi Munda, among others, will grace the four-day long extravaganza.

“A DOZEN DELEGATES FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES WILL BE AT SAMVAAD FOR AN EXCHANGE OF CULTURES, IDENTIFYING ISSUES AND SEEKING SOLUTIONS” BIREN BHUTA Chief of CSR at Tata Steel