It is estimated that more than 7000 languages are spoken in this world. Each language is unique in itself and gives an identity to the community that speaks it. According to the Census of India enumeration, 2011, in India there are 121 languages and numerous dialects spoken by different communities. However, the people's linguistic survey undertaken by Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Baroda, identifies not less than 780 languages spoken by the people of India, out of which 480 languages are spoken by tribes and nomadic communities of India. This is a mere indicator of the enormous linguistic diversity of India. Scholars interested in exploring such huge diversity of languages need a Dictionary (treasure of words) to understand their meaning, phonemes, origin from basic sounds, typology, etc. The reason being that they are instrumental in reconstructing the different phases; a human group has undergone the evolutionary process as an adaptation in varying environmental conditions. Further, preparation of more and more Dictionaries on tribal languages of India is considered imperative at this juncture, when many tribal languages are losing their existence due to the current dangerous trend of linguistic globalization.
Although Dictionaries of many world languages are available, Dictionaries on tribal languages are very few and countable due to the difficulty in spending considerable time among the tribes and collecting their language details. Many tribal communities still live in hostile climatic conditions and in difficult terrains. Ignoring these challenges, two of my esteemed colleagues, Dr. Piyusa Ranjan Sahoo (Superintending Anthropologist, Anthropological Survey of India, Jagdalpur) and Dr. Sukrita Tirkey (Associate Professor in Anthropology & Tribal Studies, Shaheed Mahendra Karma Vishwavidyalay, Bastar) have made an attempt to prepare a Dictionary on Koya Mata Or Dandami Madia (Gondi) (Dandami Madia - Hindi-English) of South Bastar region, Chhatisgarh. This Dictionary stands as a testament to the resilience and vibrancy of the Gondi language, providing a precious resource for the language enthusiasts, researchers, administrators and the Dandami madia tribal people of the community, whose voices it amplifies.
As I go through the pages of the Koya Mata Or Dandami Madia (Gondi) Shabdakosh of Bastar, I am captivated by the depth of research and dedication that has gone into this remarkable compilation. The meticulous efforts of both the compilers are evident in the comprehensive collection of words, phrases, and expressions that adore the pages of this Dictionary. It contains around 6,581 words and this trilingual dictionary is the first dictionary of its kind in Chhattisgarh which contains the words of Dandami Madia, Hindi and English. While preparing the dictionary in these tri languages, every care has been taken in respect of transliteration and translation of each indigenous word to provide its equivalent meaning in other two languages for proper communication.
More than a compilation of words, this Dictionary explores the indigenous wisdom and cultural opulence of the Dandami Madia tribal community. It provides the reader with a window to understand and appreciate their unique values, worldviews, beliefs and customs, alongside the Dandami Madia ways of looking at the world around them. In future the analysis of many of the basic sounds upon which the pillar of a language is founded would help the ethno-linguists to enter into this community's primordial state of being, the ultimate reality of human existence.
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