Sat Feb 22 14:28:16 UTC 2025: ## Kolkata Scholar Sounds Alarm on Dying Tribal Languages in West Bengal
**KOLKATA, February 22, 2025** – Award-winning literary scholar Mrinmoy Pramanick has warned of the imminent extinction of several tribal languages in West Bengal, overshadowed by the perceived threat of Hindi to Bengali. While acknowledging the need to protect Santhali, a scheduled language, Dr. Pramanick, affiliated with the University of Calcutta, stressed the critical condition of numerous other tribal tongues, particularly Toto, Lodha, and Birhor, which are facing extinction due to Bengali dominance.
Dr. Pramanick, currently a Charles Wallace India Trust Fellow in the U.K. translating Toto literature, advocates for immediate action. He proposes introducing the literature and culture of these endangered languages as a separate subject in primary schools in affected regions. He cites the 1961 census, which disregarded languages spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, as a contributing factor, calling it a violation of linguistic human rights. Poverty and migration to urban centers further exacerbate the problem.
“When a language dies, it’s not just a language that dies; it’s the culture, identity, knowledge, medicine, literature – an entire epistemology,” Dr. Pramanick emphasized, highlighting his own efforts in organizing translation workshops and establishing a translation center focused on preserving these languages. He employs “organic collaborative translation,” involving the community directly in the process. While acknowledging the natural evolution of languages, Dr. Pramanick believes that present-day resources can and should be used to prevent their complete disappearance.
First Piper 