Languages & linguistic heritage

“Nations don’t make us human – languages make us human [and] behave like civilised beings.” – Ganesh [G.N.] Devy (co-founder, People’s Linguistic Survey of India) in a video interview (Scroll.in, 25 November 2017)
https://www.facebook.com/scroll.in/videos/1600744976675043/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=24320

An indigenous film industry for large indigenous populations: ‘Jhollywood’ tells the stories of modern Adivasis – Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam & Manipur

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Jhollywood is calling Forget the faux tribals grunting in Raavan. Jharkhand has its own film industry, made by Adivasi filmmakers for Adivasi viewers, says G VISHNUIS BEERA Formula for a Jhollywood film: five songs, three fights, three romance scenes. Plus Adivasi angst and humour Munda — Mani Ratnam’s pastiche Adivasi in Raavan played by Abhishek … Read more

Fostering respect of linguistic diversity and linguistic heritage – Linguapax Asia

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Linguapax Asia works in partnership with Linguapax International, a non-governmental organization formerly affiliated with UNESCO and located in Barcelona, Spain. In its role as the Asian associate, Linguapax Asia carries out the objectives of both Linguapax International and UNESCO’s Linguapax Project with a special focus on Asia and the Pacific Rim. These objectives are: Promoting … Read more

Video | Dungri Latar (At the foothills): In quest of “a life beyond the world of quarry” – West Bengal

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On the occasion of World Indigenous People’s Day on 9th August, I present the song ‘Ḍuṅgri Latar’ (At the foothills) that talks about the struggle and plight of Muni (name changed), a 14 years old girl, the third generation member of the family working at a stone-quarry situated at the border area of Birbhum and … Read more

Museum & Society – A re-evaluation of Adivasi Heritage by Prof. Ganesh Devy

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“There is an intimate connection between the historical process of the creation of ‘Adivasi’ as a social category and the construction of the knowledge about the Adivasi communities as well as the popular imagery of Adivasis. Therefore, the management of memory in relation to the Adivasi communities is likely to run into contradictions when placed within … Read more

Unicef packages: tribal languages as the medium of instruction for children – Jharkhand

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At a time when the state is red-faced about rural primary schoolchildren clueless in class, Unicef (Jharkhand) has embarked upon a pioneering project of preparing textbooks in tribal and regional languages for children for whom Hindi is as alien a medium of instruction as English. […] Textbooks include a theme-based pictorial dictionary in tribal and … Read more