The word ‘tribe’ takes its origination from the old French tribe, referring Roman Ancient States (Ramnes, Tities, Luceres). Historically Tribes have existed as social groups comprising of distinct people dependent on their regional land for their livelihood and their self-sufficiency makes them partially independent of being integrated into the national society. In India, the tribal people have known here as Adivasi a modern Sanskrit word that carries the specific meaning of being the original inhabitants of a given region. Geographically, the Tribes in India establish their presence throughout the country. Adivasi communities believed in collective living wherein the resources — jal, jungle, jameen — belonged to the community collectively. The administrative policies and mechanisms brought in by the British disrupted this Adivasi way of life and collective existence. Under the garb of civilising the Adivasi communities, colonial rulers tried to rip them off their resources, their identity, and their religious, cultural, social, economic and political systems; a practice which remains prevalent in present day independent India. This comprehensive book depicts the detail overview of Indian Tribals, their rights and triumphs and government policy. This book is made for students of sociology, social work and tribal studies.

Dhiraj Ghose is Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at Bangabasi Morning College, Kolkata, West Bangal. He has attended many national and international seminars. His several research papers have been published in reputed journals.