The major native languages of Uttarakhand- Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari continue to suffer due to the apathy of the state government more than 18 years after the creation of Uttarakhand. The speakers of the native languages are decreasing in number as the younger generations lose touch with their Pahadi roots.
The general secretary of Garhwal Mahasabha, Roshan Dhasmana says that they stopped teaching Garhwali language in the Mahasabha about three years ago. A batch of as many as 70 people used to be taught the language at the Mahasabha once. A syllabus was drafted for a 20-day course where people were taught basic Garhwali. The batch had people from all age groups and two teachers used to conduct the classes. Even people not from Garhwal came to learn the language. Some of them found it hard to carry out their work with the locals because they did not know how to speak in Garhwali. The language classes were held for about six years before they stopped due to the lesser number of people turning up to learn Garhwali. However, researchers continue to visit the library at the Garhwal Mahasabha office in Dehradun which has over 2500 books on the history of Garhwal and Kumaon. The library consists of biographies, books on folklores, dictionaries and poetry in Garhwali and Kumaoni. Writer Bhagwati Prasad Nautiyal formed a Garhwali dictionary with translations of words and phrases to Hindi and English. This was done in order to make it easier for English and Hindi readers to understand and learn Garhwali. Dhasmana says that it is a pity to have such vast Garhwali literature and no one wanting to learn about it.
School curriculum in the state does not include Garhwali. This has resulted in the younger generation being unaware of the language. The migration of families from the mountains to the plains has increased over the years. With a different environment and lifestyle in the city, the Pahadi languages have been replaced by Hindi and English. People are also unaware of the Garhwali cuisine because Garhwali families living in the city do not cook traditional dishes that often. Dhasmana says that the culture and the traditional dressing style of Garhwal are also becoming rare. “Printed words don’t go a long way, it is speaking the actual language that matters,” he says.
Talking about efforts being made to conserve Garhwali language he said, “The government is not doing enough to conserve the language.” He says that people will only take initiatives if the government encourages them. The government has failed to recognise Garhwali as a state language after the state’s formation in November 2000. The rich literature of the culture exists but the government has made no efforts to promote the same. “States like Punjab have Gurmukhi in their school curriculum, why cannot we have our languages in ours?,” he questions.
According to him, the government says that having several different accents of Garhwali has made it problematic to make it the language of the state. Every district speaks the language differently and there is no one way to make it common for all. The Mahasabha is now planning to resume Garhwali lessons because they feel it is vital for the people to know their mother tongue.
He says that Garhwali songs have lost their essence with only some artists taking forward the authentic styles of Garhwali music and poetry.
Writer Madan Duklan feels that the inclusion of Garhwali should be made compulsory in syllabus of primary education at schools. “The Uttarakhand government has done nothing to promote Garhwali and Kumaoni languages but there is an increase in readers of Garhwali books. The social media has aided in uniting Garhwali readers and writers,’’ he said.
Duklan further added that WhatsApp forwards have made Garhwali jokes popular. The literature of the Garhwali culture is flourishing and Garhwali singers continue to go abroad and perform which speaks volumes about the popularity of the culture. “Garhwali literature is doing well and has a bright future,” he says
Duklan has authored an anthology called ‘Angwal’ consisting of poems from 300 poets with poems from the time periods ranging from 1850 to 2012. He also feels that Garhwali movies are a good way to make people more aware of the culture as not everybody reads Garhwali literature. “The movies too are individual efforts by people to promote the culture of Garhwal with no assistance by the government of the state,’’ he concluded.