Tribal Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Transformation: Data Analysis of Stories from the Field

The present theme “Tribal Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Transformation” is located within the larger conceptual framework of development in general and of tribal development in particular. It expresses expectations and hope, that the tribal communities could have a sustainable transformation, subject to diversif ication of their traditional economies, in terms of entering into “entrepreneurship” as an alternate for their economic enterprises. There are data on tribal entrepreneurship supported by government and corporates. There are also case studies of successful tribal entrepreneurs irrespective of any external financial intervention. This paper tries to analyze the way in which the effort for bringing in entrepreneurship among tribal communities is oriented towards their sustainable transformation in the midst of adversities. To this end, the paper wi ll problematize the very notion of tribal entrepreneurship, conceptualize it within the development discourse, contextualize it justifying its rationale, and analyze the available data on the success stories and challenges in view of the way forward.