BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): Around 20 Adivasi painters from different parts of the state have learned how to upload her paintings on Instagram and how to use Gmail and Google Meet.
It was part of inagural day of the two-day training workshop on virtual Class at Atal Bihari Good Governance Institute in the city on Wednesday. The workshop was organised by Vanya Prakashan, the publications arm of the Department of Tribal Affairs to introduce them to the digital world and equip them with the basic skills for marketing their works in India and abroad.
The skills that were taught included how to use Google Meet and Gmail, how to make oneâs email ID and to make them social media friendly.
Pooja Baiga, 18, from Umaria was in attendance along with her husband Amar Singh Baiga, 23, and their little child. Pooja, who has studied up to class 8, doesnât use a mobile. âKuch samajh mein nahi aaya,â she said, adding that she would learn from her husband, who has been using a mobile for some time.
Dwarika Netam who is studying in grade 12, has been painting for the past three years and owns an Android phone. âThe world is changing and we need to acquire new skills so that our culture doesnât get confined to museums,â he said.
Santosh Uike, a Gond from Dindori district, was happy that he would be able to share his paintings with people living outside India and tell them about his culture. âSeekhne ki koshish kar rahee hoon,â said Jyoti Machhar, 35, who has been painting for the past 10-12 years.
Adviser to Vanya Prakkashan Laxmi Narayan Payodhi said that they hope that the participants will go back to their villages and teach basic digital skills to others. âThat is why, tomorrow, the trainees will be teaching what they have learned to the trainers,â he said.
âIntends to acquire GI tags for tribal artworksâ
Chief guest at the programme, Principal Secretary, Tribal Affairs, Pallavi Jain Govil said that the training would enable the tribal artists to display and sell their works around the globe from the comfort of their homes. She said that to ensure that the tribal works of arts are not exploited for commercial purposes, the government intends to acquire GI tags for them. Govil said that if students staying in tribal department hostels wish to stay back during vacations, they would be provided facilities for learning and playing sports.
