The Marathi department of the University of Pune (UoP) and Vadodara-based Bhasha Publication and Research Centre have join hands to document over 17 Marathi dialects.
The documentation will not only give detailed information about the dialects but will also highlight its cultural importance and evolution, said head of the department of Marathi, Manohar Jadhav.
According to UoP officials, the project is funded by the Bhasha Centre. Jadhav said that the centre had initially approached Deccan College and a few other organisations of the state to tie up for the project.
“But since the centre did not receive any response from those institutes, UoP’s department of Marathi was approached. And we readily agreed,” he added, stating that the chief of the centre, Ganesh Devi, is a learned person and had undertaken similar projects successfully in other languages in various states.
He said, “Generally a language is passed on to the next generation through its usage. Every language has its own culture and a history. However, the dialects have undergone various changes and a few are nearing extinction. In order to preserve them the project has been taken up.”
The department has conducted a workshop of experts on Marathi language from across the state and after that they collected the data and will undertake detailed documentation.
“The documentation will also include the colloquial use of the language, how relationships are addressed, folklore, folk arts, songs and poems. The documentation will include the distinct feature of every dialect,” Jadhav added.
