TRDC compiles tribal dictionary

Officials at the Tribal Research and Development Centre (TRDC) in Bhopal have come up with a unique idea of compiling a dictionary on the three main tribal languages of the state. Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population in India with about 23.27 per cent of the total population of the state.

The dictionary, still in its initial stages of development, aims at bridging the language gap between the tribals and other people of the state. The dictionary will translate Bhil, Gond and Korku, the three main tribal languages of the state, to Hindi.

"We are trying to bridge the language gap between the people in the state because of different tribal languages As there is such a large population of tribal people in the state with so many languages," said Laxmi Narayan Payodhi, research officer at the TRDC.

The dictionary would especially be helpful to research scholars who need a better understanding of the tribal language during their research. Students feel it would make their work a lot easier.

"Madhya Pradesh has a large tribal population and we face a lot of problems during our research in the tribal areas because of the vast change in their languages. This dictionary would be a great help in understanding them and their language," Sachin Nagle, a research student.

Madhya Pradesh is home to some of the most rare and indigenous tribes in the world, one of them being the Baigas, described by several British administrators in the 1860s as the wildest and most isolated tribal people.