Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s “The Adivasi Will Not Dance”

This lecture elaborates on the pangs of Adivasi life as they continue to experience violence, exploitation, and displacement at the hands of multiple sections of the society through Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s short story “The Adivasi Will Not Dance”. In recording the voice of the Adivasi being silenced, the lecture highlights how tribal communities have been continuously written out of the national imaginary, raising questions regarding freedom and identity through the tribal dance as a means of cultural expression.