Former special representative to Jharkhand (2007-08), Bijender Goel, who was nominated as the founder president of the Indian Delphic Council earlier this month, is determined to provide a platform for the state’s tribal artists to showcase their skills in the international arena.

“I am sentimentally attached to Jharkhand as I had visited almost all districts during my stint as the special representative to the state. I know the rich art and culture of Jharkhand and how the artists are exploited. It would be my topmost priority to arrange resources for such tribal artists and provide them with an international platform so that they can get financial help in honing their skills,” Goel told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi.

Goel, the current chairman of the National Council on Disaster Management and former adviser to the Union labour and employment minister, is known for introducing earthquake onsite early warning technology in South Asia.

He is also the adviser of South Asian affairs at the International Delphic Council, a voluntary, not-for-profit, non-political, non-religious global organisation that works to foster harmony among people through engagement in various arts forms and the cultural identities that manifest them, through the Delphic Games.

Delphic Games are to arts and culture what Olympic Games are to sports. Since its revival in 1994, the Delphic Games have been hosted in Georgia, Russia, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines, Germany and South Africa while Delphic Summits, Delphic Art Wall initiatives and other festivals of cultural significance have been organised across the world. India has participated in three editions of the Delphic Games in various countries and even won gold and silver medals in South Korea earlier.

Goel said he has already nominated Bulu Imam, a 78-year-old environmental activist working for the protection of tribal culture and heritage in Jharkhand, as the state’s Delphic ambassador.

“Bulu Imam is a towering personality working for the cause of tribal culture and heritage. He has received the Gandhi International Peace Award in 2011 and is also a recipient of the Padma Shri (2019) and brought to light traditional arts like Khovar and Sohrai. We nominated him as the state Delphic ambassador on Friday,” said Goel.

Imam, who is based in Hazaribagh, has established the Sanskriti Museum and Art Gallery and has made several films on tribal art and culture of Jharkhand. He is a researcher in fields like archaeology, tribal and rock art, vernacular folklore and history.

“We have also constituted the Delphic Council of Jharkhand. We hope that they would organise festivals, events and platforms in the state,” said Goel.

“I plan to take this movement to every artist, art lover, various stakeholders and government bodies by promoting all the arts including but not limited to music, performing arts, visual arts, literature, social arts, communications, ecological arts and architecture,” said Goel, who has formed Delphic councils in 18 states.