Bihar: Tharu and Surjapuri languages facing extinction

Bihar’s two dialects -- Tharu and Surjapuri -- are facing extinction as experts fear that they will merge with Bhojpuri, Maithili, Hindi, or Bangla if steps are not taken to revitalize them.

Tharu, a mix of Bhojpuri and Maithili, is spoken by the Tharu community predominantly in the West and East Champaran districts. Surjapuri, a mix of Bangla, Maithili, and Hindi, speakers are mainly concentrated in Kishanganj, Katihar, Purnea, and Araria districts in the state.

Talking to PTI, Tarkishore Prasad, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and four-term MLA from Katihar, said, ''Surjapuri language is spoken in a specific region in my constituency and other adjoining areas. But, indeed, the language is now witnessing variations and people, who used to speak Surjapuri language earlier, are now preferring to interact in Bangla, Maithili, and Hindi.'' ''I will certainly look into the matter and will ask officials to explore ways for the revitalization of this language. The same language is also known by another name that is called ‘Kishanganjia’,'' he added. While speaking about the Tharu language, the DyCM said, That is also true that this language is ''on the verge of extinction. We will certainly discuss a plan for the revival of this language also''.

Echoing a similar view, Bijoy Kumar Choudhary, Executive Director of the Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS) of the state government, told PTI: These two languages will disappear if they are not revived as the people prefer speaking other dominant languages like Bhojpuri, Maithili, Bangla, and Hindi. The BHDS has come to this conclusion after a thorough and detailed field investigation. Now, people belonging to this community hardly speak in Tharu in their day-to-day life. They either interact in Bhojpuri or Maithali. ''I can certainly say that Tharu language is on the verge of extinction and Surjapuri is witnessing variations,'' Choudhary said.

The BHDS, a wing of the Art, Culture, and Youth Department of the state government, works for the preservation, conservation, and promotion of the tangible and intangible heritage of Bihar. The BHDS is committed to facilitating activities for protecting and popularizing the heritage in Bihar and synergizing the efforts of different agencies working in this field.

Authorities concerned in Bihar do not have data on the total number of population that speak the Tharu language. The Tharu as a community is scattered across the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar in India, and along the southern forested regions in Nepal. As far as Surajpuri is concerned, a large chunk of the Surjapuri speakers lives in Nepal's Jhapa district adjacent to the Thakurganj Block of Purnea district. According to the 2011 Census, the total Surajpuri-speaking population in Bihar is 18,57,930.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)