From paddy craft to chapra chutney: Tribal stories unfold at Delhi fest

New Delhi: Sunder Nursery has felt livelier than usual in the past few days, with colours, crafts and conversations fusing together and brightening the feel of the Mughal-era park.In one corner, grains of paddy lie scattered across a white cloth. Seated quietly, a woman bends over, fingers moving steadily as she threads rice into thin strips of bamboo. The strand resists, then yields.“Who are you?” someone asks from across the table. Her hands do not stop. “Dhanai Majhi from Odisha,” she says, then adds, “Batra --- that is my tribe.”Dhanai is among hundreds of artisans at Bharat Tribes Fest organised by the ministry of tribal affairs and Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).Over 1,000 tribal artisans, self-help groups, chefs and cultural troupes from across India have gathered here. Stalls span art, craft and cuisine, while performances run through the day, turning the venue into a living archive of traditions.At the festival, Dhanai isn’t just weaving paddy. She is part of a larger bridge between her community and the outside world.A bright line of sindoor marks her parting, her two golden nose pins catch the light of the setting sun and her bangles tinkle softly with every turn of her wrist. The motion repeats, unhurried, as if her hands already know what the grain must turn into.“I learned this by watching elders at home,” she says. “After harvest, we would sit together and make these.” She lifts a small figure. “We make this Ganapati after harvest, for pooja.”Nearby, artists from Madhya Pradesh sit at their stalls, bringing Gond, Warli, Pithora and Saura traditions to life. Each brushstroke carries memory and meaning. “Every stroke tells a story,” says a Gond artist working on a large canvas. “This 4x6 piece took me four months. Everything is hand-drawn. It’s worth Rs 1.5 lakh.”A few stalls away, communication takes a different form. At a table lined with bottles of coconut oil, Abangange Samu, an Onge from Little Andaman Island, watches visitors closely. He does not speak Hindi, but reads expressions with ease. His companion explains, “It’s generational work. Earlier, it was only for personal use. Now, we are trying to bring it to a larger market.”Amid this cultural confluence, each stall tells engrossing life stories. Many of the participants are visiting Delhi for the first time, soaking in its glamour, dazzle and the metro rail.Among them are women from Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar, a region long affected by Naxal violence. Their presence here marks a journey far beyond geography.“Coming from a place like ours, where every day brings fresh challenges, we never imagined we’d be here,” one of them says. “This is not just about showcasing our culture. We want to break stereotypes and show how ordinary people live there.”The women have brought with them chapra chutney, a fiery paste made from red weaver ants and their eggs, along with rice-based brews and forest produce. For them, the stall is both livelihood and message: one of resilience and quiet assertion.The festival’s diversity unfolds in layers. Metal artisans hammer intricate designs into shape. Clothing stalls from Nagaland, Assam and Gujarat draw steady crowds. Kerala’s handcrafted cutlery gleams under soft lights. Baiga tribals offer traditional brews, while nearby, a woman carefully places bamboo biryani from Andhra Pradesh on a plate.Visitors flit between stalls carrying bags of craft and food.Manish, who lives in Delhi, walks by carrying bags full of tribal décor items. “It’s rare to find authentic tribal art like this in one place,” he says. Prachi, who heard about the festival on the radio, pauses at a jewellery stall. “The pieces from Manipur feel so raw and traditional,” she says. “And the food --- everything here is so different.”The festival also extends beyond India. Artisans from Fiji display handcrafted items, like pandanus earrings, coconut-leaf fans and clay pottery shaped into decorative forms. At the heart of this display is Dania Grace. Her tekiteki flowers, made from mulberry bark, signal marital status. By their side, are pandanus earrings and tapa pieces rooted in traditional techniques.