A Nomad Called Thief: Reflections on Adivasi Silence

A collection of essays on Adivasis. Tribal groups (Adivasis) in India have often been excluded, marginalized and oppressed by "mainstream" society. In many ways this exclusion, marginalization and oppression is fostered by the way in which "mainstream" society looks at the Adivasis —as exotic, dangerous, or "primitive" others. Devy’s book looks at the problems of Adivasis, the threat to their physical environment, the terror and indignity of the stigma of being considered "criminal" tribes and their induction into the communal violence in Gujarat. But he also discusses the simple sophistication of Adivasi knowledge systems, language and literature, as also initiatives taken along with tribals in the areas of health, microfinance and preservation of cultural forms.