The grounds of Lalmatia Housing Society School and College came alive with the beats of drums and the colourful celebration of Wangala, the foremost festival of the Garo community. Known as the “Hundred Drums Festival,” Wangala is a time for the community to thank Misi Saljong, the Sun Deity, for a successful harvest. This festive celebration marks the end of the farming season and celebrates the blessings of nature.

Recent violence in Bangladesh highlights systemic oppression against Indigenous women.

Will this culture of impunity be continued forever in the CHT?

Indigenous women are read even less. There are multiple root causes–lack of editorial support for indigenous authors writing in their mother tongues, the predominance of oral traditions, gender inequality and bias.

“We wanted to share the story in our native language, just the way we heard it from our elders", said Kanak Chanpa Chakma.

Human rights violations of Indigenous peoples, especially land-grabbing, continued unabated

How much longer must the people of CHT wait?

When a child is disrespected for who she is, she will reject her home and culture.

Indigenous women's traditional knowledge and practices can help us to survive with nature instead of abusing it. In Bangladesh, their inherent value are yet to be fully understood and duly recognised by the scientific community, development practitioners and policymakers alike.

Some have taken a similar stance when it comes to fashion. The Chakma, Marma, Garo, Santal and others have their own traditional, heritage wear; many of the new generation may not feel comfortable wearing their heritage outfits and that’s where fashion designer Tenzing Chakma begs to differ.

Researching the plight of Indigenous people is a passion of mine because I am Indigenous.

A recent TIB study shows that the Dalits and indigenous communities of the plain lands in Bangladesh have been facing widespread socio-economic discrimination, often being deprived of education, healthcare, even government's basic immunisation programmes, and employment as well as other basic human rights.