Native Tongues Need A Boost

Time of India

12-07-2025

Ranchi: Even as the state govt is promoting tribal and indigenous languages through various projects, the pace of their development is impeded by several factors, including the dearth of institutions for such a purpose apart from manpower shortages and a lack of research work for the enrichment and development of the languages.
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Notably, Jharkhand is a state with a wide linguistic diversity. There are 32 STs in the state, and most of them have their native languages, while many do not have scripts. Among the languages spoken by the people of the state are Angika, Sadri, Nagpuri, Panchpargania, Malpaharia, Mundari, Santali, Ho, Kharia, Kurukh, Malto, Korwa, Bijori, Gondi and Asur apart from Hindi, Bhojpuri and Odia. The major tribal languages among them are Mundari, Kurukh Kharia, Ho and Santali, and the regional languages are Nagpuri, Khortha, Panchpargania and Kurmali.
Citing the 2011 population census, the Linguistic Survey of India published a report in March 2024 stating that 77.38 lakh people speak Khortha, 28.95 lakh speak Santali, 9.92 lakh speak Ho, 9.95 lakh speak Kurukh, 7.57 lakh speak Nagpuri, 2.44 lakh speak Panchapargania, 1.47 lakh speak Paharia, 1.40 lakh speak Kharia, and 2,341 speak Korwa.
In 1981, the then state govt established the one-of-its-kind Tribal and Regional Language (TRL) Institute under Ranchi University (RU) for teaching nine major tribal and regional languages.
Some of these languages are also being taught in other universities and colleges. The nine languages are also considered the second language of the state. Moreover, questions are being asked about these languages in major competitive examinations held by the Jharkhand State Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Even the central service cadres who serve in Jharkhand have to pass in one of these tribal languages to get a promotion.
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Meanwhile, Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) official Avinav Kumar said, "The govt is teaching five main tribal languages in 1,000 schools across eight districts — West Singhbhum, Khunti, Simdega, Gumla, Saraikela, Latehar, Dumka and Lohardaga in the state. The schools have been provided with teachers and bilingual books for education.
"The education department is also considering a plan for adding other tribal and regional languages in school education, but a final blueprint is yet to be prepared," he added.
The premier institute TRL, however, has a shortage of regular teachers and is being run with the help of teachers hired based on need. The subjects also lack adequate books for study. Many of the students learn from photocopies of unpublished works of writers. All tribal and regional languages, including those without scripts, are being taught in the Devanagari script as it is easier for students to understand. While the script of some languages, like Kharia, does not exist, the scripts of other languages are not effective or popular.
In the recent past, efforts were made to promote the Ol Chiki script used for Santali language after it was developed by scholar Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925.
Several experts have emphasised the formation of a Jharkhandi language academy with linguistic experts as members. The former head of department (HOD) TRL and former vice chancellor of the Jharkhand State Open University T N Sahu said, "There is a need for a language academy to work on scripts of tribal and regional languages, collect write-ups, and print them.
The languages develop from the writings of various people, right from handwritten works in villages to those of scholars.
Many write-ups, including handwritten works, have not been published as, after the death of the writers, their families could not invest money in it."
Sahu also said the academy could invent scripts of various tribal languages according to standard parameters by conducting meetings of language scientists from all over the country and also by forming committees in this regard.
At present, many of the scripts are being written at individual levels, which are not of high quality, he stressed.
For instance, while Khortha is gaining ground among students, they are not using the Khortha script called Kharosthi for their studies, Sahu claimed, adding that a language academy could have ensured its review by language scientists to make it comprehensible and popular.
Most academicians also said that many tribal and indigenous languages are dying because people are not using them.
The new generation, particularly those who are living in towns and cities, are not using any of the tribal languages, they claimed, adding that if their scripts and handwritten works are published, these languages could survive. Experts also felt that in the absence of a language academy, the state's indigenous languages are not getting the benefits of prominent language scientists from different parts of the country.
The academicians also feel that on the lines of Bihar, a University Service Commission should be formed in Jharkhand for the recruitment of teachers in higher education and their promotion. The alternative method could be to delegate the power to the vice-chancellors of universities in this regard, they said. The former HOD of all languages in the early years of TRL, Hari Oraon, said, "The JPSC, which appoints and promotes teachers in colleges, is more focused on the administrative posts.
Consequently, a large number of posts in universities, including the TRL, are lying vacant. Due to a lack of promotion in TRL, the research works were affected as there is not a single professor in the institute, while the assistant professors can enrol only a limited number of students."
Current TRL HOD of Nagpuri, Umesh Nand Tiwary, said, "Students are not finding guides for carrying out research work. All of them approached us, but we have our limitations.
This badly affected the research work."
Besides, the number of regular teachers appointed in different languages is not sufficient across the state. There is a shortage of teachers not only in TRL but also in RU-affiliated colleges where these languages are being taught. The institutions are mainly dependent on teachers hired on a need basis.
The coverage of these languages by universities is also limited. For instance, there is huge demand for postgraduate courses in Khortha language in the North Chhotanagpur area but Vinoba Bhave University is offering only certificate courses at present.
Moreover, Santali and Khortha are spoken by a significant number of people in Santhal Paragana, but Khortha is not taught in Sido-Kanhu Murmu University. Tiwary said, "Education in all nine regional and tribal languages should be carried out in all the universities and the districts across the state, irrespective of the number of students coming for enrolment. This would help in the promotion of these languages.
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