Grassroots Linguistic Conservation: Examination of how activists in Jharkhand are safeguarding tribal languages through community radio broadcasting
Reviving Indigenous Languages in Jharkhand: A Focus on the Asur and Birhor Communities
In the heart of India, efforts are underway to preserve and revive two endangered tribal languages - Asur and Birhor - in the state of Jharkhand. These initiatives aim to safeguard these languages, which are at risk of decline due to factors such as language shift to dominant regional or national languages.
The conservation strategy focuses on community-driven cultural activities, leveraging local media, and educational empowerment. Community broadcasting and original artistic expression in tribal languages are key tools to increase usage and prestige among younger generations. Vandana Tete leads community radio broadcasts for the Asur language, while new songs are being written and sung in the Asur and Birhor languages and shared on platforms like YouTube.
Pre-recorded plays, songs, and news scripts in the Asur language are played over loudspeakers at weekly haats (markets) in Jharkhand villages. Similarly, a dictionary and grammar book are in progress for the Birhor language, and a children's picture book titled "Abun Ari Re" (Our Surroundings) has been published by Bikram Jora, a linguist with a doctorate from Delhi University.
Jora encourages families to use the book to teach children Birhor, with illustrations showing body parts labeled in both Hindi and Birhor. Five hundred copies of the picture book were distributed free across six Jharkhand districts, including to primary schools.
The Asurs, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Jharkhand's Netarhat, Latehar, Palamu, and Gumla districts, are also being supported. The Asur Adivasi Radio, started by 15 members of the Asur community, primarily daily wage earners, farmers, and housewives, is playing a crucial role in this endeavour.
The Birhor community, a marginal upajati, lives on the edges of forests in Jharkhand and Odisha. Despite facing challenges such as being forced out of their forest land and having their traditional occupations threatened, they have extensive knowledge of Indigenous plants in the Jharkhand and Odisha forest belts.
Bikram Jora is also working to preserve the Birhor language. He has published a survey on the Birhor community's ethno-botanic knowledge, and attempts are being made to collect poems, mantras, shlokas, and modes of rituals and rites practised by the Asur community.
However, these initiatives face funding challenges, particularly in expanding Radio Asur. In response, public address systems are used instead of mobile signals and radio frequencies due to expense and difficulty. Despite these hurdles, the spirit of preservation and revival remains strong among activists, scholars, and community members.
In summary, the conservation efforts in Jharkhand aim to revive and preserve the endangered tribal languages of the Birhor and Asur communities through community-driven cultural activities, leveraging local media, educational empowerment, and exploring digital and academic collaborations. These initiatives not only safeguard these languages but also strengthen cultural identity and foster pride within these communities.
- In addition to preserving and reviving the Asur and Birhor languages, there is a growing interest in promoting a holistic lifestyle that encompasses fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and personal-growth.
- As part of this holistic approach, learning new skills-training in areas such as handicrafts, natural cosmetics, healthy cooking, and organic gardening is encouraged to further empower these communities.
- Relationships play a vital role in these communities, and relationship-building workshops are being organized to enhance communication and emotional intelligence among community members.
- Pets, particularly domesticated animals like dogs and cats, are becoming increasingly common in these communities, offering companionship and contributing to overall well-being.
- Travel provides an opportunity for members of these communities to broaden their horizons, with eco-tourism initiatives promoting awareness about sustainable travel practices and the importance of preserving Indigenous cultures.
- Carpooling can also be a valuable resource for community members, reducing carbon emissions, saving costs, and fostering closer relationships.
- With a focus on education-and-self-development, efforts are being made to establish adult education centres offering basic literacy skills, numeracy, and vocational training.
- Simultaneously, weather forecasting provides essential information for farmers and daily wage earners, helping them plan for the day and make informed decisions about their livelihoods.
- In the realm of career-development, sports such as football (American and traditional) and sports-betting can offer exciting opportunities for employment and income generation, while also providing a platform for healthy competition and skill-building.
