Lost rights, little credit, less pay: the painful reality behind tribal music in the mainstream
Tribal artists in India are increasingly exploited by the mainstream music and film industries, receiving minimal pay, no royalties, and little credit for their cultural contributions. The article highlights the case of a Paniya community artist whose song was used in a major film with inadequate compensation.
Why it matters
It highlights systemic economic and cultural exploitation of vulnerable indigenous communities within the creative economy.
Lost rights, little credit, less pay: the painful reality behind tribal music in the mainstream left Members of the Lanjia Saora, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, in Rayagada district of Odisha. K.R. Deepak The Hindu https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/jllush/article71611000.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/009_LS_Tribes.jpg DEEPAK KR News in Frames: Members of the Lanjia Saora, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), perform a traditional dance in their village in the Eastern Ghats of the Gunupur region in Rayagada district of Odisha. Photo K.R Deepak / The Hindu Inadequate credit and compensation, unfair contracts and lost royalties often leave tribal creators and communities shortchanged The song ‘Neram Pilantha’ begins as a call to a loved one, reminding her of the breaking dawn and the reality of toiling on land they do not own, earning grain as wages.
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