World Tribal Day or International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is annually observed on August 9. The day is observed in order to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population, acknowledging their achievements and contributions to improving world issues such as environmental protection. India, as a country has seen several tribal movements across states demanding their rights and also protecting to save the environment. Ahead of World Tribal Day 2020, netizens on Twitter are trending #09AugustNationalHoliday is one of the top hashtags. Reason? They demand that August 9, as a celebration of World Tribal Day should be declared as a national holiday in the country, honouring the tribes in the Indian subcontinent.

Adivasi is the collective term for the tribes of India. Far from the contemporary trend and economic development, they own their identity as Adivasi, having their own language, religion, festivals, cuisine, dance and music. The lively tableau of the tribal community in our country stretches from the remote villages in the Himalayan region to the southern and also to the farthest corner of North East to the dunes of Rajasthan. But very less is known about them. Tribal Artists Make Traditional Rakhis in Jharkhand. 

With tweets and images of the tribal communities, social media users request the Indian and state governments to declare World Tribal Day as a national holiday. The aim behind the #09AugustNational Holiday is also to increase awareness about the Adivasis, their cultures and traditions and protect their rights as they are equally important as a community for the nation’s development. Below, in this article, check out the tweets and reactions as to how and why people demand World Tribal Day to be declared as a national holiday.

Check Out the Tweets:

August 9 to be Declared A National Holiday!

The Hashtag Continues to Grow

Nature and Tribal Community Complements Each Other!

World Adivasi Divas

National Holiday Honouring Adivasis

The date for World Tribal Day recognises the first meeting of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations in Geneva in 1982. As of now, no authorities or any government officials have reacted to the viral hashtag #09AugustNationalHoliday, as the hashtag continues to grow online.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 29, 2020 10:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).