Since the publication of the first volume of Janajati Darpan in 2017 there had been no looking back, no uncertainties, no downslides. On the contrary, it had been a narrative of growing intimacy among different marginalised communities of eastern India - both dalits and adivasis. On the eve of the publication of its eighth volume,it is quite heartening to see that the tradition of an inclusive multicultural dialogue thrives and prospers with fresh inputs from various corners. True to the foundational principles of this multilingual publication series, we have been able to showcase a vast plethora of writings on indigenous life and culture with special reference to the literary oeuvre of many powerful dalit authors. In this connection I consider it very pertinent to quote from the observation of a globally acknowledged scholar of indigenous studies, Dr Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty:
The study of language, literature, orality of individual tribal groups like Ho, Kharia, Lodha, Mahali, Birhor, Malpaharia, will not be undertaken as a mere patronizing look at the other, but as a strategy of learning from others who have been treated as more 'other' than other others. Their natural and human resource management strategies will be studied, as revealed in their textual and contextual traditions, for correcting the mega developmental text, driven by globalization of the corporate market. 
Keeping this advisory in mind we have attempted to sustain a dialogue between the unrepresented knowledge universe of the indigenous communities and the academia saturated with western paradigms of knowledge society. 
Anil Gharai’s first novel Noonbari is a poignant narrative of pain and suffering of a vulnerable dalit woman- forsaken by her husband at the prime of her youth. It is a sad saga of her struggle for self-empowerment in a vicious coastal ecosystem of human trafficking- an unequal struggle with a ruthless regime. Two plays of Raju Das, a veteran Dalit playwright, Bhigu Dusad and The Shudra Girl, contribute greatly to the unique appeal of this volume. While the former play brings out the story of Mahasweta Devi on a poor tribal as the chief protagonist, the latter is a bitter exposure of the evil of untouchability in Bengali society- an unpleasant reality often covered up by the so-called progressive Bengali intellectuals in order to establish the primacy of class conflict. Shyamal Kumar Pramanik’s heart-rending yarn “The Barren Land” truly captures the miserable plight of a female labourer Kamli in a brick factory. It unfolds the exploitative cycle of patriarchy breaking hapless women’s lives to smithereens. The caste-class continuum of exploitation and marginalisation opens up the festering wounds of agony and humiliation in a 75- year old democracy. It reminds the readers of the prophetic utterance of Dr. Ambedkar in his famous speech at Mahad- an utterance that sounds like a cruel joke in the context of poor Kamli’s ignominious existence. Niranjan Mondal’s autobiographical essay “Pandemic and the Marginal Society of Sunderbans” brilliantly captures the combined impact of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic in aggravating the marginalisation of the indigenous and other local communities in the Sunderbans. It records the sad saga of how the majority of the residents have lost their incomes, without any alternative income, leading to an increase in poverty. The absence of adequate, universal social security programmes exacerbated the distress in life and livelihoods. 
One major focus of the eighth volume of Janajati Darpan is on the snippets of life-writing by the authors of various indigenous communities of eastern India. “Pandemic and Adivasi life” by Bimal Kumar Toppo provides a comprehensive catalogue of the indigenous herbs and medicinal plants which members of Kurukh tribe use to combat the pandemic and develop a preventive health care ethos in the community life. “Memoirs” of Anadi Nath Mahato is a pithy excerpt loaded with the ‘Künstlerroman’ of an adivasi student vehemently braving all odds to complete his formal education and moving towards the destination of self-empowerment. Jaladhar Sabar, Secretary, Paschimbanga Kheria Sabar Kalyan Samiti and member of the Kheria Sabar DNT community, waxes eloquently on his tribal identity and the evolution of the Sabar association as a powerful instrument of change in the accursed life of the DNT Sabars. Another significant piece of autobiography entitled “Indigenous Way of Life: Some Reflections” muses on the impact of COVID-19 on Sadri community of North Bengal. The author Neheru Oraon shares many details of the tribal food habits as foundations for a very strong immunity. Strong adherence to the dictates of faith-healers and witch-doctors is a salient feature of Sadri way of life. It shows how superstitions build up an alternative belief mechanism in the indigenous mental universe.Perhaps the most significant addition to the archive of adivasi life narratives is an excerpt from the recently published autobiography of Prahlad Kumar Bhakta entitled, Smritilekha. The translated excerpt is titled as “Iguana’s Fat is the Elixir for Oil Burning”. The reflections on pain and suffering of an erstwhile Criminal Tribe- Lodha- open the window on the symbiotic relationships of iguanas and DNTs on marginal spaces of the indigenous cartography- a contested site for survival. 
In continuation of our past practice of including scholarly articles on indigenous studies, this time we have brought out Susanta Kumar Bardhan’s essay “Some Reflections on LP and Mahali”. The paper is a product of long-term field based research on the Mahali language- an Austro-Asiatic tribal language used very sporadically in eastern India and Bangladesh. The author has stressed the need for astute language planning for the conservation of this threatened tongue. The article of Subhadra Mitra Channa is a very significant addition to this volume of Janajati Darpan. It creates a fresh perspective on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in the public life. The core argument is a real eye-opener to any sensitive reader.
This volume is a product of collective wisdom and enterprise. We are deeply indebted to all the Advisory Board members for their constant encouragement. Special accolades are due for the Editorial Board members for their active participation. I thank all the esteemed authors who have contributed their articles to the eighth volume of Janajati Darpan and the eminent translators who have rendered the original pieces in Bengali and Hindi into English. 
Mr. Sukumar Gupta, the publisher, deserves special mention. I would appeal to the readers to provide their valuable feedback on the articles and creative writings included in the current volume. Please tell us about the indigenous writers whom we have failed to reach due to our limited knowledge. We shall definitely include them in the subsequent volumes.