Among the Adivasis

Indigenous tribal people form the Adivasi (adivasi- adi = first, vasi = settlers) community, whose members live all over South Asia in tiny pockets, generally in remote locations away from mainstream society. My honors project is titled Among the Adivasis, and is a documentary about the Adivasis and their way of life. I focused on an Adivasi population in Palghar, a village in India’s Maharashtra state. My documentary features members of the Warli community, an indigenous Adivasi tribe that predominantly lives in mountainous and coastal areas.  

The Adivasis have rich traditions that inform their unique and surprisingly progressive outlook on life. My documentary focuses on how the Adivasis are beginning to lose their culture at an alarming rate due to widespread construction and development. Through interviews with experts and Adivasis, highlight how one community is losing its home and livelihood to development.

This documentary would not have been possible without the Syracuse University Renée Crown Honors Program.