The Centre for Dalit and Adivasi Studies and Translation (CDAST) of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) embarked on the task of documenting the Koya Adivasi ballads at Toggudem on Sunday as part of its endeavour to study Adivasi culture and tradition.
Toggudem, popularly known as mini-Medaram in the tribal heartland of the district, came alive when a team of faculty members and research scholars from UoH came to document the Sammakka Saramma Veeragadha and other ballads by Doli performers to the famous Sammakka Saramma temple in the village.
The programme organised by CDAST, in association with the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Bhadrachalam, and Koya Samskriti Adyayana Vedika provided a perfect platform for Doli performers (a sub-caste of the Koya tribe) to showcase the rich cultural legacy of Koya Adivasis.
Speaking at the inaugural function at Toggudem, Jayadheer Tirumal Rao, the visiting professor at CDAST, UoH, said the documentation had been taken up at Toggudem, considering the availability of PAGIDE (the motifs on cloth) in the village. He elucidated the significance of PAGIDE, a piece of cloth consisting of Koya historical symbols and small figures of human beings, trees, animals, birds and other motifs connecting to a story. He underlined the need for documenting the centuries-old cultural heritage of Adivasis spread across Telangana, residuary Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha for posterity. He suggested that the rich legacy of Koya Adivasis and the stories of the valiant fighters of the Koya tribe like Sammakka Saramma be printed and translated into various languages.
ITDA Project Officer D. Divya lauded the efforts of CDAST in documenting the distinctive Adivasi cultural heritage. She mooted the setting up of a full-fledged tribal museum in Bhadrachalam to promote and preserve the rich cultural legacy of Adivasis.
Mahabubabad MP A. Sitaram Naik promised to sanction Rs. 10 lakh for the proposed museum.
Pinapaka MLA Payam Venkateshwarlu, Pro Vice-Chancellor UoH, E. Haribabu, CDAST Coordinator V. Krishna, Singareni Collieries Company Limited officials and others were present.
