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  India   3 Chhattisgarh tribal dialects on verge of extinction

3 Chhattisgarh tribal dialects on verge of extinction

Published : Feb 23, 2016, 1:12 am IST
Updated : Feb 23, 2016, 1:12 am IST

At least three tribal dialects of Chhattisgarh are facing the threat of extinction, an anthropological study has revealed.

Residents help a blind man cross old tram tracks discovered under an existing road in Mumbai on Monday. 	— AFP
 Residents help a blind man cross old tram tracks discovered under an existing road in Mumbai on Monday. — AFP

At least three tribal dialects of Chhattisgarh are facing the threat of extinction, an anthropological study has revealed.

One of them is spoken by Kamars, declared as primitive tribe group (PTG) by the Union government.

“Three tribal dialects are facing the threat of extinction, primarily due to socio-economic reasons,” Dr Anil Virulkar, a researcher at Chhattisgarh’s Tribal Research Institute (TRI) told this newspaper on Monday.

The tribal dialects which are facing the threat of disappearance are Binjwari, Kharwari and Kamari, spoken by the Binjwar, Kharwar and Kamar tribe groups, respectively. Kamars are categorised as PTG.

“The tribe groups have to migrate to other areas due to shrinking livelihoods in their original habitations. This has uprooted them of their culture. In the process, their dialects have become redundant for them and could not be passed on to the next generation,” the anthropologist revealed.

Binjwars, the original inhabitants of Bar Nabawara forest in east Chhattisgarh, have migrated to Bilashpur and Raipur districts for greener pastures.

They adopted the local dialect for economic reasons, gradually losing touch with their mother tongue. The next generation got education in Hindi language. The tribal group has a population of a little over one lakh in the state.

Similarly, Kharwars, found in north Chhattisgarh district of Jashpur, have of late started migrating to different parts of the country to earn a livelihood. The migrated population has to adopt the local language, gradually losing touch with their dialect in the process.

Location: India, Chhatisgarh, Raipur