The largest and best-known tribal religion of India is that of the Santhal of Orissa. In 1991, there were some 24,000 Indians belonging to the Santhal community who identified explicitly as adherents of the Santhal traditional religion in the Indian census, as opposed to 300,000 who identified as Christians. Among the Munda people and Oraons of Bihar, about 25 % of the population are Christian. Among the Kharia people of Bihar (population about 130,000), about 60 % are Christians, but all are heavily influenced by Folk Hinduism. Tribal groups in the Himalayas were similarly affected by both Hinduism and Buddhism in the late 20th century. The small hunting-and-gathering groups in the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have also been under severe pressure of cultural assimilation.

Bipin Bhatt is an author, journalist, filmmaker and activist from the region of Assam. He has also authored Child and Human Rights: Concepts and Reality, Crime Against Women, Crime and Punishment in Ancient India, Crime in Tribal Setting. Bhatt was born in 1964 in Shillong. He is a Consulting Editor for the Statesman, and has previously worked for Associated Press and The New York Times. He has created many documentary films on the north eastern region.