• What “Adivasi” Means

“Adivasi” is a modern Hindi and political term that literally means “original inhabitant” (adi = ancient/original; vasi = dweller/inhabitant). It is widely used across India and South Asia as a self-identification for Indigenous tribal communities whose roots, ways of life, and survival are deeply connected to land and forest.

The word Adivasi holds important social and political weight. Unlike older colonial or casteist labels (like “tribal,”“aboriginal,” or “primitive”), Adivasi asserts identity, dignity, and the truth that these communities have been the first caretakers of these lands long before modern states, empires, or caste hierarchies existed.

• Why We Use It

We use Adivasi to reclaim this rightful identity — to remind the world that we are not outsiders, but original peoples whose wisdom, culture, and survival have been systematically erased, exploited, or romanticised for centuries.

Naming ourselves as Adivasi is an act of visibility and resistance: it asserts our continued presence, our right to land, self-determination, and to speak for ourselves — not be spoken for.

• What “Dalit” Means

“Dalit” is a political and social identity that means “broken” or “oppressed” in Sanskrit. The word has been reclaimed by communities historically forced to the bottom of India’s rigid caste system — communities once called “Untouchables.”

Dalit does not appear in ancient Vedic texts as a self-identity; instead, it emerged through anti-caste and social justice movements to name the structural violence of caste apartheid — the reality that millions have been systematically excluded, stigmatised, and denied basic human rights for centuries.

• Why We Use It

We use Dalit as an act of defiance and truth-telling. It calls caste oppression what it is — not just “backwardness” or “poverty,” but a deliberate system of social exclusion and exploitation.

Naming ourselves Dalit makes the invisible visible. It connects us to a long legacy of resistance, from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of annihilating caste to everyday acts of survival and collective struggle.

Using Dalit today is a reminder that this oppression is not just history — it shapes who is seen, safe, or silenced in India and globally. It demands that those who benefit from caste-based privilege confront it — and that spaces like yoga, wellness, and spirituality do not remain silent.

• What the “A” Stands For

In A.D.A Yoga, the last “A” stands for Awareness, but it doesn’t stop there.

A also stands for Action, Alliance, and Ancestral Memory — four living truths that move together.

Awareness means recognising that caste oppression, land loss, and cultural erasure are not just history — they are living systems that decide who is included, who profits, and who is pushed out of yoga and wellness spaces today.

Action means that awareness cannot stop at words — it must become repair, accountability, and real shifts in power, leadership, and resources.

Alliance means standing alongside Adivasi and Dalit communities not as charity but as true partners — sharing responsibility, building trust, and walking the path of collective healing together.

Ancestral Memory reminds us that this work is not new — it is rooted in the survival, resistance, and wisdom passed down through generations. It calls us to protect what remains, remember what was stolen, and honour the stories that still breathe in our bodies and lands