Key demands for Banjara welfare, self-respect raised

Guntur: Holi festival celebrations were held with great enthusiasm and grandeur at Railway Mahal here on Tuesday. The colourful event witnessed vibrant participation from the Banjara community, who celebrated the festival with traditional music and dance.

Former State ST Commission member and founder-national president of Girijana Praja Samakhya, Vaditya Shankar Naik, was the chief guest. On the occasion, he joined community members in performing traditional Banjara dances, encouraging them to preserve and promote their rich cultural heritage.

Addressing the gathering, Shankar Naik said that nearly 15 lakh (1.5 million) Banjara and Sugali people are living across the State and urged the government to take immediate steps to address key demands of the community.

He called for the establishment of a special “Tanda Welfare Board” for the comprehensive development of Banjara habitations.

He also demanded that the Banjara language, ‘Gor Boli’, be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and that a resolution be passed in the ongoing Assembly sessions and forwarded to the Centre.

Among other demands, he sought allocation of 10 acres in Amaravati for construction of a ‘Banjara Bhavan’, free distribution of traditional Banjara attire to women as a mark of self-respect, official organisation of Holi celebrations in every Tanda, and sanction of pensions for Banjara artistes on par with Dappu artistes.

Several tribal leaders and a large number of Banjara women participated in the celebrations.