Context: Recently, the Union government of India kicked-off year-long celebrations to mark the 284th birth anniversary of Santh Sevalal Maharaj, a spiritual and religious leader of the Banjara community.

• He was a spiritual and religious leader of the Banjara community, a nomadic community that has been declared a Scheduled Tribe (ST) in a few States of India.

• The Samadhi Sthal of Sant Sevalal Ji is situated in Manora Taluka of Washim District of Maharashtra at Pohradevi which is also known as ‘BanjaraKashi’.

• The jayanti was declared by Ministry of Culture.

Events organised

• The events consist of cultural and dance programmes, performed along with an exhibition of Banjara art for two days from February 26 and 27.

• The celebrations are being organised under the aegis of the government’s Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign to celebrate 75 years of India’s independence.

The Banjara community

• The Banjara community have been declared as ST in five States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand),

• Scheduled Caste in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, and Other Backward Class (OBC) in Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand.