News in Frames: Traditions in transition

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Good times: A Lanjia Saora man plays the drums during a traditional dance in a village in the Eastern Ghats of the Gunupur region in Rayagada district of Odisha.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Quenching thirst: A male member of the community drinks a traditional brew after taking part in a cultural performance.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

In sync: Members of the Lanjia Saora, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), performs a traditional dance.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Double delight: Lanjia Saora women, adorned with large metal necklaces, are seen cheering during a traditional event.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Mark of tradition: An elderly tribal woman with stretched earlobes. A visual tradition marked by wearing traditional wooden ear plugs over several years.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Inked grace: A Lanjia Saora woman smiles during a cultural gathering; tattoos, often geometric or inspired by nature, can be seen etched permanently onto her skin.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Roots and rhythms: Men perform with drums during a traditional dance in a village in Rayagada district of Odisha.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

Humble sustenance: A woman drinks a traditional brew, sitting next to her mud-and-thatch home. The community sustains itself through foraging and small-scale farming.

Photo:
K.R Deepak

The Saora worldview: Rituals, music, and dance form an integral part of their everyday life.

Photo:
K.R. Deepak

In session: Community members take part in a traditional ritual. The group primarily resides in the forested regions of Odisha’s Rayagada and Gajapati districts.

Photo:
K.R. Deepak

Generational shift: Community women wearing traditional ornaments. While the senior woman is seen wearing the ear plugs fixed into stretched earlobes, the younger person adorns a similar earring but hung with a string, reflecting the changing cultural practice.