Tribal Affairs Ministry to hold National Tribal Literary Festival in Delhi on 12–13 November

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs will hold a two-day National Tribal Literary Festival on 12 and 13 November at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, as part of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas 2026.

The festival is meant to give a national platform to tribal literature, indigenous languages and oral narratives, and to recognise tribal writers, poets, storytellers and knowledge holders. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, Minister of State Durgadas Uikey, NITI Aayog member Joram Aniya, Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti chairman Chamu Krishna Shastri and Tribal Affairs Secretary Ranjana Chopra are due to attend the inaugural session.

What will be discussed

Writers, poets, researchers, linguists and academics will explore tribal literary heritage from oral traditions and community memory to contemporary writing. Topics include folklore, ritual songs, myths, folktales, riddles, proverbs, children's traditions, seasonal narratives, women's oral traditions and oral epics.

Why the ministry is doing it

The ministry says tribal literature, rooted in community histories, nature and traditional ecological knowledge, is a repository of the country's cultural heritage, but that several tribal languages face challenges of documentation, passing on to younger generations and wider reach.

Janjatiya Gaurav Divas is observed on 15 November, the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

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Source: official release by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, issued through the Press Information Bureau, Government of India (11 NOV 2026 7:44PM by PIB Delhi). Read the full official text: Ministry of Tribal Affairs to Organise National Tribal Literary Festival in New Delhi on 12–13 November 2026.