Jai Banjara

The Banjara tribal population have great products that can fetch a good price in the cities. These are mostly created by women in their society. At the moment they are being exploited by middlemen or just men! 

Training and support to access e-commerce solutions will help them to bridge the digital divide. Most of them have access to smart phones. Children are good at navigating these. The best option is to train the women through children in an effort to empower them both. We will team up with local partners to form a network of support to make this a success. Eventually my dream is that someone sitting in New York being able to order a blouse made by a woman from Banjara tribe in Telengana, (of India) knowing that the purchase is directly benefitting the maker. 

Women and children from Banjara tribal community  in India are often exploited by everyone around them.  The women and children in these communities are very strong. They have amazing ability to create beautiful products like jewellery and costumes. They gave amazing wealth of singing and dance traditions too. 

Banjara art is rich and includes performance arts such as dance, music, folk and plastic arts like rangoli, textile embroidery, tattooing and painting, all led by women in their tribe. 

All is looked down upon by the majority communities around them due to the complex cast system in India. 

Sadly, due to the male dominance in their society, they are compelled even to get rid of their best creations: girl children. Most of them are compelled to work in the city as manual labourers, physically and psychologically exploited, end up as alcoholics. 

By helping them to use smart phone to learn digital skills with an intention to open up their eyes towards e commerce possibilities can change their world.

When you hear the word ‘Banjara’ you see the picture of a woman with heavy metal jewellery, armful of ivory bangles, and clothes embellished with tiny pieces of mirrors. Today, the Banjara tribe live on the fringes of society. 

The tribe has been known in India from centuries. It appears to be a mixed race and its origin and organisation maybe due to the wars of the Delhi emperors. 

Nomadic in nature, their language doesn’t have a script. In today’s world,  a language which doesn’t have a script is considered as an under-developed language. It doesn’t help their development. 

According to the latest estimates, Banjara population is nearly 25, 00, 000 and males account for 65 percent. 

Majority people of this community are now vicious cycle of poverty, it results debt trap and it leads to sale of baby girls, migration. 85 percent of the people are consuming alcohol at early age, 67 percent are under malnutrition, frequently exposing to waterborne diseases. 

The exploitation has been going around for centuries. Women and children in this population have extremely great artistic and organisational abilities, that is very much appreciated by the world outside their community. If there is a way for them to access the market for their products into this society, in an interesting way, that is the solution. By introducing them to digital tools and digital marketing through e commerce platforms, they can overcome the centuries old servitude and find freedom. Sometimes, simple solutions can save a population. 

Banjaras culture, social system, administration system and economic system and their societal values are getting eroded in the globalization era in Telangana tribal villages. The project will be initiated  in such a village in Meheboob district of Telengana. 

Murali Nair

Director

Flying Elephant Films Limited  

Providing access and control of  e-commerce solution for a population who doesn't even have a written script is much more than bridging the digital divide. This will be an innovative approach for the benefit of this population guided by their needs and for their  benefit. This makes "Jai Banjara" a unique project. 

Core technology is internet connection in the village and creation of a dedicated website. This will rely on the seller's ability to market themselves. Will involve training them in social media tools too. 

Even the tribal population can be helped to raise their standard of living and manage their own business by themselves,  using internet of things in their by selling direct to the customers. 

The impact will be measured using the clicks on a dedicated site/ Orders / reviews from the buyers/ and a detailed feed back provided by the creators of the art materials. 

A detailed survey will be conducted to measure this. 

In order to measure the progress, we will choose a suitable indicator associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals that align with this particular solution.

Lack of funding. 

Looking for funders/ support.

Three people, working part time.

Preeya Nair

Usha Kiran Lal

Murali Nair 

Jyothi 

We have great contacts with the community. We have been working with the community and creating film projects and channeling income for them. Many members of the community are in day to day contact with us. 

The project will sustain itself. Intention is to give the creators training to find ways of sustaining themselves.