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Endangered Languages of Vidarbha: Fading Voices of a Region

Endangered Languages of Vidarbha
Endangered Languages of Vidarbha

In the villages of Vidarbha in eastern Maharashtra, elders still converse in tongues that few outsiders recognize.


A Kolam Adivasi farmer in Yavatmal might address his family in Kolami, a language now seldom heard beyond their hamlet. In the forests of Melghat, a Korku grandmother’s lullabies carry echoes of an Austroasiatic language on the brink.


These voices are part of Vidarbha’s rich linguistic mosaic, a mosaic now under threat. Linguistic surveys warn that several languages native to this region are “endangered”, meaning they could fall out of use within a few generations.


While Marathi (in its local Varhadi dialect) and Hindi dominate daily life for most of Vidarbha’s 27 million people, smaller communities cling to their ancestral languages.


Many of those tongues are teetering between survival and extinction. This article explores Vidarbha’s vulnerable languages, from those still spoken by a shrinking number of elders to others that have already fallen silent, and what their fate means for the region’s cultural heritage.


Languages on the Brink in Vidarbha


Vidarbha’s linguistic diversity stems from its mix of indigenous tribes and migrant communities. Several indigenous languages here are classified as endangered due to declining numbers of fluent speakers, especially among the young.


Kolami is one such language at risk. Belonging to the Dravidian family, Kolami is spoken by the Kolam tribal community in districts like Yavatmal and Wardha.

According to UNESCO’s Atlas of World Languages in Danger, Kolami is “definitely endangered,” meaning children are no longer learning it as a mother tongue. An estimated 120,000 people spoke Kolami as of the 2011 census, but that number is thought to be shrinking.


Linguists note that Kolami has clear links to Telugu and Gondi, reflecting the Kolam tribe’s historic migrations from present-day Telangana into Vidarbha. Today, however, many Kolam youth prefer Marathi or Hindi, and the ancient Kolami words risk being forgotten. “Our ancestors have said the Kolami language should survive… don’t quit your mother tongue,” urges Sriram Meshram, an elder from Yavatmal, imploring youngsters to keep speaking Kolami despite pressure to switch to dominant languages. His plea underscores the fragile state of this unique tongue.

Another vulnerable pillar of Vidarbha’s cultural identity is Gondi, the language of the Gond people. Gondi is actually one of the largest tribal languages in India, nearly three million people reported speaking it in the 2011 census, and it spans several states.


In eastern Maharashtra’s Vidarbha districts (Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Yavatmal, and others), Gondi was traditionally widely spoken in Gond communities.


Despite these numbers, UNESCO considers Gondi a vulnerable language, as intergenerational transmission has broken down in many areas.

Only about one-fifth of ethnic Gonds today can speak Gondi fluently. Over the past century, a majority of Gonds have shifted to using Marathi, Hindi, or Telugu in daily life. By the 1920s, even before Indian independence, observers noted that many Gond families had stopped teaching Gondi to their children. This shift accelerated post-independence as schooling and jobs required the regional or national languages.


As a result, Gondi survives mostly among older generations in remote villages, while many urban or younger Gonds know only a few words. The language’s decline isn’t due to a lack of cultural richness, Gondi has a cherished oral literature of folk songs and epic tales, but rather the social marginalization of those who speak it.


In recent years, there have been efforts to revive Gondi’s fortunes. Educated Gonds have collaborated to produce the first Gondi dictionaries and even small-budget films in the language. These initiatives, while encouraging, face an uphill battle against the entrenched preference for mainstream languages in education and media.


The Korku language is another case of a Vidarbha tongue under threat despite a sizable speaker base. Korku is a tribal language of the Korku people, concentrated in the Melghat region of Amravati district and neighboring areas.

Linguistically, it is notable as the only Munda-family (Austroasiatic) language spoken in Maharashtra, making it something of a lone survivor far west of its relatives in eastern India. Approximately 700,000 Indians identified Korku as their mother tongue in 2011, mainly in Madhya Pradesh and northern Vidarbha.


In remote hill villages of Amravati, one can still hear Korku conversations at weekly markets and tribal gatherings. However, UNESCO classifies Korku as a “vulnerable” language, the lowest level of endangerment but a warning sign nonetheless. The vulnerability is evident in the Melghat hills: many Korku children now start school speaking only Marathi or Hindi, since their parents worry that using Korku will hold them back.


Literacy in Korku remains very low, as the language was historically unwritten (a Devanagari-based script is sometimes used today). Older generations recall that Korku was once the primary tongue in their communities, but in recent decades Hindi has become dominant in public life. Some clans of the Korku have seen success in preserving their dialect, for instance, the Potharia Korku sub-group has promoted use of Korku in local schools and publications.


By and large, though, Korku faces the classic challenge of tribal languages of pressure from larger neighbors (in this case, Hindi and Marathi) leading to gradual assimilation.


Even so, Korku activists in Vidarbha continue to hold cultural festivals and language workshops, trying to spark pride in the mother tongue among Korku youth before it’s too late.

In addition to these larger community languages, Vidarbha is also home to a few tiny languages that are critically endangered.

One such example is Naiki, also known as Southeastern Kolami. Naiki is a Dravidian language closely related to Kolami. It has been spoken by the Pardhan community (traditional bards of the Gond tribes) in areas of Chandrapur district.


As per the UNESCO Atlas, Naiki is critically endangered, meaning the youngest speakers are now grandparents.

With only an estimated 1,500 speakers left by 2007, Naiki is on the verge of extinction. Most Pardhan families have shifted entirely to Marathi or Hindi, using the old language only in ritual songs or not at all.


Another highly endangered tongue is Nihali, a language isolate (unrelated to any other major language family) traditionally spoken by a small community in the border region of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.


In Vidarbha, Nihali speakers have been recorded around the Buldhana district. Linguists count roughly 2,500 speakers of Nihali remaining as of 2016. UNESCO has listed Nihali as critically endangered, the final stage before extinction. Tellingly, many Nihali people now live in bilingual villages alongside Korku speakers, and often use Korku or Marathi in daily life. Their unique tongue survives only in isolated pockets, passed on by a handful of elders. Without urgent documentation and community interest, languages like Naiki and Nihali could vanish in the next decade or two.


It is important to note that not all languages in Vidarbha are in decline. The region’s predominant language, Marathi, especially the local Varhadi dialect, remains robust.


Varhadi Marathi is spoken by millions across Vidarbha and serves as the lingua franca between different communities.


In fact, the Varhadi dialect itself preserves archaic Marathi words and distinct pronunciations that reflect Vidarbha’s linguistic heritage.

With an estimated seven to ten million speakers in Vidarbha, Varhadi is not considered endangered. Its vitality, however, contrasts sharply with the precarious position of the smaller regional languages outlined above. This dynamic of a dominant regional language thriving while minority languages struggle, underscores how linguistic diversity can erode even in a culturally rich area like Vidarbha.


Vanishing Voices and Lost Tongues


The decline of these languages is not just a local story but part of a broader pattern. India as a whole leads the world in linguistic diversity under threat: by some counts, 197 Indian languages are endangered to some degree. Ganesh N. Devy, a scholar who conducted the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, has documented 780 living languages nationwide, and he warns that around 600 of them are “potentially endangered,” often with only a few thousand speakers each.


In Maharashtra and Vidarbha specifically, many lesser-known languages have already vanished in the last few generations. Devy notes that India has “lost 220 languages since 1961” and cites a startling example: “There used to be languages called Adhuni, Dichi, Ghallu, Helgo, Katagi”, all once spoken in tribal or rural communities, but no trace of them remains today.

We know their names from old records, but there is no one left to speak or remember them. Such extinctions often happen quietly, without obituaries or headlines. A language can die when its last elderly speakers pass away and the next generation has already shifted to another tongue.


No comprehensive record exists of all the languages that may have died out specifically in Vidarbha, but it’s very likely that some local dialects and tribal idioms have disappeared unrecorded. For instance, the Wadari and Kolhati dialects spoken by nomadic communities in Maharashtra are today barely known outside those groups. They survive in dwindling numbers or have blended into mainstream languages. Linguists classify such speech forms as distinct languages, yet they often lack scripts or formal recognition.

As younger generations of nomadic families settle in towns and adopt Marathi or Hindi, the unique vocabularies of Wadari, Kolhati, Golla, Gisari and others fall into disuse. Each of these “lost” languages carried specialized knowledge. The tools and techniques of traditional stonecutters (Wadari) or folk dance terminology (Kolhati) were encoded in their vocabulary. When the language fades, often that niche knowledge goes with it.


The human cost of language extinction is considerable. Ayesha Kidwai, a linguist at Jawaharlal Nehru University, emphasizes that tribal languages are a treasure trove of local knowledge, about medicinal plants, crops, ecology, and folklore, passed down over centuries. “When a language declines, that knowledge system is completely gone,” Kidwai told Down To Earth, highlighting how intimately language is tied to culture and identity.


In Vidarbha, languages like Kolami or Korku encapsulate the history and worldview of communities that have lived in the region’s forests and hills for ages.

The phrases, idioms, and oral literature carry references to seasonal cycles, native wildlife, and ancestral deities that do not translate neatly into Marathi or English. Elders often lament that when their language dies, “a unique way of looking at the world disappears”. This sentiment is not abstract. It becomes painfully real when, for example, a traditional healer can no longer teach medicinal herb names to apprentices because the terms existed only in their mother tongue.


Beyond knowledge loss, language death also means a loss of cultural solidarity and identity. In many Vidarbha tribes, the mother tongue has been a marker of community pride and social cohesion.


Older Korku or Gond individuals recall how speaking their language among themselves reinforced a sense of belonging. As that habit erodes, younger members often feel less connected to their heritage. Some even change their surnames or hide their tribal language ability to avoid discrimination in towns. The extinction of a language can thus sever a community’s link to its own past.


This phenomenon has played out tragically in other parts of India. The Majhi language of Sikkim lost its last fluent speaker in 2016, effectively rendering the language extinct in India.


One by one, such final speakers, often in their 80s or 90s, are passing away, “obliterating an entire language from our country,” as one report described Majhi’s demise.


Vidarbha’s endangered languages are still fortunate to have more than a handful of speakers alive. However, without action, they too could head toward the same fate within a couple of decades, joining the list of India’s forgotten tongues.


Vidarbha's Language Heritage at Stake and Efforts to Preserve It

Vidarbha's Language Heritage at Stake and Efforts to Preserve It
Vidarbha's Language Heritage at Stake and Efforts to Preserve It

For the people of Vidarbha, these vulnerable languages are not just modes of communication, they are living heritage.


Each language embodies songs, rituals, and stories specific to its community. For example, the Gondi language carries a rich legacy of Gond folklore and oral epics about heroes like Hirabai and Mangaldev. Kolami is the medium for many Kolam Adivasi farming songs and wedding chants that make little sense if translated out of their linguistic context. Recognizing this cultural value, local leaders and scholars have begun initiatives to document and revitalize some of these tongues.


The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, recently produced a documentary series featuring eleven endangered tribal languages, including ones spoken in Maharashtra.


In one episode filmed in Yavatmal, Kolami elders like Sriram Meshram speak on camera about their determination to keep their language alive.

Such visibility has helped draw modest public attention to Kolami’s plight. Meanwhile, non-profit groups have organized translation workshops to develop educational material in tribal languages. In 2019, a storytelling NGO held a “translation hackathon” where volunteers created bilingual Kolami–Marathi storybooks for children.


The resulting picture books, featuring folk tales printed in both Devanagari script and Kolami (transcribed phonetically), were distributed in Kolam villages. Projects like these provide a rare opportunity for Kolami children to see their mother tongue in print, potentially sparking interest and pride in using it.

For Gondi, one of the more widely spoken endangered languages, a number of grassroots efforts are underway across central India. In Vidarbha’s Gond-dominated districts, some schools have experimented with introducing Gondi language classes or cultural programs. Gond artists and writers have also started publishing poems, short stories, and even producing short films in Gondi.


The idea is to give the language contemporary relevance and prestige so that younger Gonds feel it’s something to cherish, not hide. In 2018, a team of Gondi speakers from various states collaborated to compile the first standardized Gondi–Hindi–English dictionary, a project reported by the media as a milestone for the language. Although Gondi has multiple dialects, the dictionary project forced scholars to reconcile vocabulary and create reference forms, thereby laying groundwork for teaching materials.


Additionally, a unique Gondi script (actually two scripts, known as Gunjala Gondi and Masaram Gondi) has been revived and promoted by linguists.


In parts of Adilabad (Telangana) and Gondia (Maharashtra), there are now signboards and pamphlets written in these Gondi scripts, a bold statement that the language deserves a written presence alongside Marathi and Hindi.


The Korku community, too, has seen embryonic preservation attempts. Some Korku youth groups in Melghat have started digital archives of Korku folktales and ethnobotanical knowledge, recording elders speaking in Korku and then translating the content.


Given that Korku had no script tradition, these recordings serve as both linguistic documentation and cultural preservation. The creation of Korku-language radio programs or podcasts is also being explored.


Notably, activists point out that supporting a language also involves addressing the social marginalization of its speakers. In recent years, government schemes targeting Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Vidarbha , such as the Kolam and Madia Gond, have included components for cultural preservation in addition to economic aid.


This reflects a growing realization that development initiatives must respect and incorporate native languages, for example by training local teachers who can instruct in Kolami or Madia (a Gondi dialect) at least in lower primary school. Maharashtra’s state policy has begun to acknowledge these needs, but implementation is still limited.


It is crucial to clarify that these efforts are descriptive and revitalizing, not politically separatist. Community leaders in Vidarbha aren’t asking for separate statehood on linguistic grounds (as seen elsewhere in India).

Rather, they seek validation that their mother tongues are an integral part of the region’s identity. There is a sense of urgency shared by linguists and community elders alike. Every passing year sees more native speakers of these languages aging without a new generation to carry the torch.


Yet, where there is effort, there is hope. The positive attitudes among some young Gonds noted in surveys, many expressed willingness to help develop their mother tongue, suggest that given the right support, the downward trend could be slowed or even reversed for languages like Gondi.


Similarly, when Kolam or Korku children hear stories and rhymes in their own language in school, it reinforces that their heritage is something to be proud of, not something to be shed in the march toward modernity.


Vidarbha’s endangered languages present a poignant paradox. They are at once intensely local , spoken in a few villages or among specific tribes , and yet their decline is part of a global narrative of linguistic homogenization.


As these “vanishing voices” struggle to be heard over the dominant languages, the people of Vidarbha stand to lose more than just words. A language carries within it the soul of a community: its humor, its wisdom, its way of interpreting the landscape. When a Kolami or Nihali phrase dies out, an irreplaceable piece of Vidarbha’s history is lost. The coming years will be decisive. If current trends continue, some tongues will slip from daily use into memory, and from memory into oblivion.


However, the recent stirrings of awareness, from Kolam elders recording folktales, to Gonds writing dictionaries, to educators advocating multilingual education, show that not all is yet doomed.


In the cities of Nagpur and Amravati, a new appreciation is emerging for the cultural tapestry woven by these minority languages (even as we avoid romanticizing their plight).

Whether this will be enough to change the trajectory remains uncertain. What is clear is that every time a young person in Vidarbha greets their grandparent in Kolami or Gondi, instead of switching to Marathi, it is a small victory for preservation.


In those everyday acts of communication, the vulnerable languages of Vidarbha continue to live. The hope of linguists and community elders is that these languages will not just live on as museum pieces or academic records, but as thriving, spoken mother tongues, an enduring voice of Vidarbha’s plural identity.

 


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The NewsDirt is a trusted source for authentic, ground-level journalism, highlighting the daily struggles, public issues, history, and local stories from Vidarbha’s cities, towns, and villages. Committed to amplifying voices often ignored by mainstream media, we bring you reliable, factual, and impactful reporting from Vidarbha’s grassroots.

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