Banita Behera, Zonal Anthropological Museum, Anthropological Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India delivered a key note speech at Conference ETAR 2019 Bali, Indonesia November 27-28, 2019

Banita Behera has done her Masters and M.Phil in Social and Cultural Anthropology. Currently working as an Assistant Keeper, Officer In charge of Zonal Anthropological Museum of Anthropological Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar regional Centre, Ministry of Culture, Govt. Of India. In performing the role as a curator since a decade to preserve the Tangible and Intangible Heritage of India in Cultural sector, she has conducted several tasks such as acquiring / preserving the rare objects for the museum from various sources and performed several activities to disseminate their value to the masses. Since a decade she worked as a young Curator in research and exposition wings at Museum of Tribal Research Institute and National Museum of Mankind she has also helped in formulating an extensive interactive plans and programs for Museum Sector with reference to protect and promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage of India through the interactive and inclusive exhibits and anthropological field works. She also taught Tribal Culture of India to the Master degree in Social Work students for some period. Started her career as Field Officer at Social Organization for Rural Development she worked for different women’s Health programs and projects. Despite organising many Exhibitions, Outreach activities in collaboration with different Organization to extend the value of Culture in Global Context, her contribution in fieldworks in the toughest parts of India like Leh-ladakh and Himalayan region to document the High Altitude Cultures and now among the Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands specifically the Jarawas are some of her extensive contribution to the National Museum of Mankind and Anthropological Survey of India respectively to disseminate unreachable culture to the masses through their exhibitions. Collections of numerous rare vanishing objects and tribal youth dormitory for open air exhibition to the reserve collections of National Museum of Mankind is a major contribution during her period. She has participated and presented papers in many National and International Conferences and has bagged in the way many honors and awards of repute. Her noteworthy contribution to the field of academics has been published in many International Journals. Recently her talk on High Altitude Culture at a Conference in Rome, Italy gathered many inquisitiveness and comments.