https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

A Festival in Gadchiroli that Gave a Platform to Tribal Artisans to Showcase their Unique Crafts

SP Gadchiroli’s initiative to organise the first Gadchiroli Festival to help local tribal artisans paid off. In two days, handmade goods of tribals from Naxal-affected areas worth Rs 15 lakh got sold. Encouraged by the good response, the officer now plans to organise the festival regularly, to showcase and promote tribal craft.
Indian Masterminds Stories

It is said that to see the real India, one should go to her villages. It is in the villages located in the corners and far-flung areas of the country that one gets to see unique indigenous talent at work. Mostly these crafts lie hidden but there are officers who go out of their way to promote and highlight them. A similar effort was made by the Superintendent of Police of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, Mr. Ankit Goyal, who organised the Gadchiroli Festival to promote the artistic talent of the tribal artisans of the area. And in no time, the handmade goods of the tribals coming from the Naxal-affected areas sold like hotcakes! According to Mr. Goyal, handicraft and locally made items worth Rs.15 lakh were sold in the festival.

Indian Masterminds presents the full story of Gadchiroli Festival, after speaking exclusively to the officer behind it, Mr. Ankit Goyal.

IPS Officer Ankit Goyal, SP, Gadchiroli

SHOWCASING TRIBAL ART

Through this festival, an attempt has been made to showcase the artistic talent of the local tribals of the district. Even Ministers of the Maharashtra government were present during the festival, where local tribal youths performed the traditional ‘Rela Dance’ in front of them. Also, for the first time in the region, agricultural exhibition, handicraft exhibition, dance competition, volleyball competition etc., were organized. Gadchiroli SP Ankit Goel started the ‘Dadlora Khidki Yojana’ during the festival, which is an attempt to reach out to the local tribal population.

Rela Dance

GADCHIROLI MAHOTSAV

The 2010-batch IPS officer told Indian Masterminds: “Our artisans who come from far flung areas have so many wonderful products.So, our aim is to provide them a platform to sell those products. Actually, we hold annual volleyball and Rela dance competitions here. This time, we presented them like a big programme and named it Gadchiroli Mahotsav. Thus, it is the first Gadchiroli Festival.”

In the volleyball matches, 10 teams played, and in the Rela dance competition too, a large number of people joined. On both these days, stalls were allotted for free to Naxal-affected artisans who wanted to sell their products but were looking for the right platform. There was no entry fee and even food stalls were allotted free. Due to the absence of entry fees, people came in large numbers, and that is why the products of artisans got sold fast. Around Rs. 15 lakh worth of products were sold in just two days.

Tribals in Traditional dresses in Festival

ONLINE PLATFORM PLAN

Mr. Goyal said that the success of this first Gadchiroli Festival has encouraged them to hold it regularly.

“We will continue this. Now we are trying to make this platform online to benefit the artisans. Their products will then have a wider reach. As a result, their earnings will increase. So right now, our effort is to see to it that the people from remote Naxal-affected areas can sell their products easily online and benefit from the sale.”

Tribal Women in traditional dresses in Gadchiroli Festivals

Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Tamilnadu-police-resized
Power and Prejudice: CB-CID Probes Tamil Nadu Boy’s Abduction Tied to Suspended ADGP and MLA
Bihar Government-resized-IM
Patna’s Grand Makeover: Nitish Government Pushes Over Rs 85,000 Crore in Development Projects
MoEF&CC
Gharial & Sloth Bear Enter Species Recovery Programme: MoEF&CC Advances PM's Wildlife Vision
ONGC PSU AWARD
Future-Ready ONGC: Supply Chain Reform Earns National Recognition with Silver Honour at ET Governance PSU Leadership & Excellence Awards 2025
BSF logo resized
BSF Jawan Alleges Harassment, Tree Cutting, Encroachment, & Property Damage by AGMUT Cadre IPS Officer in Delhi - Know the Case Here
RVNL
RVNL Constructs Indian Railways' First-Ever 3D-Printed Building at Parvatipuram Station
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services
Uttarakhand: 4 IAS Officers Reshuffled, Ranveer Singh Chauhan Relieved from Namami Gange, Nitika Khandelwal Assigned Addl Charge
MP Secretariat
Madhya Pradesh: Secretariat Employees Protest New MP Promotion Rules, Allege Discrimination
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Tamilnadu-police-resized
Power and Prejudice: CB-CID Probes Tamil Nadu Boy’s Abduction Tied to Suspended ADGP and MLA
Bihar Government-resized-IM
Patna’s Grand Makeover: Nitish Government Pushes Over Rs 85,000 Crore in Development Projects
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT