You must have shaked a leg to some scintillating music or grooved to Bollywood beats at a party or a friend’s wedding. But, have you ever been to a tribal music fest? We are talking about “Sarjom Baa” – the tribal music festival of Sukinda in the Jajpur district of Odisha. It was Saturday evening – a perfect time to set the weekend right – when the music maestros from the tribal hamlets of the Sukinda valley set the floor on fire with their indigenous music and musical instruments.
The occasion was set by Tata Steel Foundation to relive the traditional musical renditions and know about the fading but charming instruments at Tata Steel’s Sukinda Chromite Mine campus. More than 300 tribal musicians and dancers along with their musical instruments had gathered to give the onlookers a pleasant and exclusive experience. The audience and the art connoisseurs couldn’t resist but let their hairs down to the enchanting rhythms of Tumda, Tamak, Sakwa, Jhumka, Ghumra and Kartal.
Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, Pankaj Satija, Executive-In-charge, Ferro Alloys and Minerals Division (FAMD) of Tata Steel said, “We are committed to preserving and promoting the cultural legacy of our indigenous communities. Folk Music and dances are integral to our society and reflect our successes, failures, aspirations, and struggles. ‘Sarjom Baa’ is not just a celebration of music and dance but also a step towards fostering inclusivity and preserving rich indigenous traditions and heritage for future generations.”
Tribal communities like Santhal, Sabar, Bhumij and Ho tribe participated in the event and showcased some stellar music and dance performances at the do. ‘Sarjom Baa’ the word is a culmination of two Santhali words ‘Sarjom’ meaning Sal tree and ‘Baha’ meaning flower. The program is organized during Baha festival of Santhal tribes that marks the beginning of people from the tribe to visit jungle to collect minor forest produces. The communities celebrate Baha festival with a puja, dance, song and lot of merry making. Therefore, linking the festival with ‘Sarjom Baa’ program, Tata Steel Foundation also organizes this program during the Baha festival.
This year, five tribal music centres – established as an outcome of last years Sarjom Baa – had come together to perform at the event. The centres performed dance forms associated with different occasion promoting their culture.
Pramod Kumar, Head (Administration), FAMD, Tata Steel, Nihar Ranjan Mitra, Senior Area Manager (Mining Operation), FAMD, Tata Steel, Debanjan Mukherjee, Head, Kalinganagar Impact Cluster, Tata Steel Foundation and other senior officials of the company were present on the occasion.
