Saviors in Jharkhand: Learn how activists are rescuing tribal dialects through community radio broadcasts
Indigenous Language Revival Efforts in Jharkhand
In the heart of Jharkhand, efforts are underway to preserve and revive two endangered languages - Asur and Birhor. These languages, unique to the region, are being kept alive through community-based broadcasting, educational materials development, and documentation projects.
The Asur community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Jharkhand's Netarhat, Latehar, Palamu, and Gumla districts, is at the forefront of this movement. Asur Adivasi Radio, run by 15 members of the Asur community, plays pre-recorded songs, plays, and news scripts in the Asur language over loudspeakers at weekly markets. This initiative aims to popularize the language among the 9,500 Asur community members, bypassing the challenges posed by radio signals. New songs are even being written and sung in the Asur language, and uploaded on platforms like YouTube.
Similarly, for the Birhor language, which is on the brink of extinction, efforts led by linguist Bikram Jora and the Living Tongues Institute include the publication of children's picture books like "Abun Ari Re" and a survey on the Birhor community's ethno-botanic knowledge. These resources are distributed freely in primary schools across six Jharkhand districts, facilitating language learning at home and in schools. The project also involves the development of a dictionary and grammar book for Birhor, along with ethnobotanical studies highlighting the community's sustainable relationship with the forest, which is crucial for their cultural survival.
The Birhor community, a marginal upajati, resides on the edges of forests in the Jharkhand and Odisha forest belts. They are known for their knowledge of Indigenous plants in their region, surpassing others. The community practices sustainable livelihoods, primarily as rope makers, selling ropes made from tree bark for `100-150 per bundle to the Santhals, Mundas, and Hos.
Vandana Tete, a local activist, started a community radio programme among the Asur community in 2019. Her efforts aim to expand the reach of Asur Adivasi Radio to every village in Jharkhand, but face funding challenges. To counteract the language decline caused by pressures from dominant languages like Hindi, Sadri, Santhali, and Munda, attempts are being made to create children's books in Asur, similar to those for the Birhor community.
These community-focused and educational initiatives emphasize intergenerational transmission of language through accessible storytelling and integration in primary education. They aim to keep these indigenous languages alive despite infrastructural and financial challenges, ensuring that the unique culture, rituals, and traditions of communities like the Asur and Birhor are not lost to time.
While similar digital and partnership-driven models have been applied elsewhere in India, Jharkhand's efforts currently rely more on local activism, community broadcasting, and print resources tailored to indigenous contexts. These strategies, combined, are a testament to the resilience and determination of these communities to preserve their heritage for future generations.
[1] "Revival of Indigenous Languages in Jharkhand: Community-based Approaches" - Unpublished Research Paper, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. [2] "Indigenous Language Revival in Jharkhand: A Case Study of the Asur and Birhor Languages" - Unpublished Master's Thesis, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, New Delhi.
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