Sunday, May 06, 2007

Will Devanagari Script suit for Sourashtram?

FOR THE KIND ATTENTION OF THE SUPPORTERS OF DEVANAGARI SCRIPT

THE FOLLOWING IS THE WRITING METHOD ADOPTED BY THE ZOOLOGY PROFESSOR R.KRISHNAMURTHY IN THE BOOK ‘MOOLA SOURASHTRAA BHAASHAA LIPI’ TO WHICH THE PRESIDENT OF THE ALL INDIA SOURASHTRA MADHYA SABHA SRI P.G.M. THULASIRAM AND THE GENERAL SECRETARY SRI E.SANTHARAM HAVE GIVEN THEIR OFFICIAL BLESSINGS.

THIS METHOD IS EXPERIMENTED BY THE PROFESSOR. YOU HAVE TO USE THIS METHOD AND COME OUT WITH YOUR EXPERIENCE AS TO WHETHER IT IS CONGENIAL FOR LEARNING HINDI AND SANSKRIT LANGUAGES APART FROM ITS SUITABILITY TO SOURASHTRA LANGUAGE.

MY PRESUMPTION IS THAT YOU WILL DEFINITELY COMMIT SPELLING MISTAKE WHILE WRITING HINDI AFTER PRACTISING WRITING SOURASHTRA LANGUAGE IN DEVANAGARI SCRIPT WITH THE VERY SIMPLE MODIFICATIONS MADE BY THE ZOOLOGY PROFESSOR.

WE SHALL SEE WHAT MODIFICATIONS HE HAS MADE TO THE EXISTING DEVANAGARI SCRIPT.

HIS VOWELS

A A [WITH A DASH OVER THE LETTER TO MARK ITS LENGTH]
I I [ -do- ]
U U [ -do- ]
E AE
AI
O O [WITH A DASH OVER THE LETTER TO MARK ITS LENGTH]
AU
AHA

He has removed the vowels ‘ru’ and ‘am’ from the list of vowels.

Note: There is no short form of ‘e’. in Devanagari script. To represent this, he has used the same letter which is meant for the lengthened form of ‘e’ with a diacritic mark.

What is read as ‘ai’ in Hindi/Devanagari, he assigns the lengthened form of ‘e’

When in Hindi, only one slanting line is written on the head of the letter ‘E’,
he writes two slanting lines on the head of the letter ‘E’ for representing ‘ai’.

The other major modification is instead of placing a slanting small stroke below the consonant,
he introduces putting a dot over the consonant to make it as a ‘consonant’
Ex. ‘ Mu mam ba ii’ is written instead of ‘mum ba ii’ for the dot over ‘mu’ is deleted and the same is placed over ‘ma’ written next to ‘mu’ and that is pronounced as ‘m’ !
You will get confused !
Let me not waste your time, for this method of writing was not appreciated in the ‘Minor Language Conference’ held at New Delhi on 24th March 2007. It was commented that instead of solving the Script problem, it will create new problem.

Flash: It was learnt that in the meeting of High Level Language Committee of All India Sourashtra Madhya Sabha held recently at Erode, it was decided to abandon the book printed by the Zoology Professor under the title ‘Moola Sourashtra Bhasha Lipi’. It goes without saying that the Professor has not obtained the consent from the members of the High Level Language Committee appointed by All India Sourashtra Madhya Sabha. Sourashtra Madhya Sabha also gave a free hand to the Professor and now they are in doldrums.

Readers ! Please note that this is not written to find fault with the zoology professor.
What is happening in the All India Sourashtra Madhya Sabha is reported.

My slogan is ‘Practise writing Sourashtram in any script you know’. I repeat that I am not against using Devanagari Script for Sourashtra Language. You can use it with suitable diacritical marks and additional signs. You should write as you pronounce. Short vowels should be properly represented.

tumi mudullo likkattak harumbam kero. teka pharaatu tumi ture anubhavam sango. Devanagarim Sourashtram likkitti phalco, Hindi kin Sanskrit bhaashaan meLLi likki savO. tevEL tunko kaay kaay tappun keraarasi menatte kaLaan avayi.

sauraaSTra lipim likkilEt avatte bheLi uttamam.

UPAMANYU.

Marathon Run by Sourashta Kid Siva Shree

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

1991 Census - Sourashtra Population - misguiding nomenclature.

1991 Language atlas of India – Languages specified in the 8th Schedule.

3. GUJARATI ... 40,673,814

1. Gujarati … 40,335,889
2. Gujrao/Gujrau … 46,339
3. Saurashtra/Saurashtri … 220,126
Others 71,460

16. TAMIL … 53,006,368

1. Kaikadi 21,848
2. Tamil 52,886,931
3. Yerukala/Yerukula 63,133
Others 34,456

District-wise Data Sheet of Language. [vide Page 232 Census of India, Language Atlas of India, 1991] Jayant Kumar Panthia, IAS, Registrar
General & Census Commissioner, India. Govt. of India, June 2004.

Tamil Nadu Gujarati
Total Population 55,858,946 244,921

1. Madras 25,985
2. Chengalpattu 7,467
3. North Arcot 4,082
4. Dharmapuri 324
5. Thiruvannamalai 2,609
6. South Arcot 1,132
7. Salem 22,002
8. Periyar 1,090
9. Nilgiri 373
10. Coimbatore 5,464
11. Dindigul 13,690
12. Tiruchi 7,637
13. Thanjavur 26,945
14. Pudukottai 3,951
15. P.M.Thevar 368
16. Madurai 92,381
17. Kamarajar 312
18. Ramanathapuram 19,236
19. Chidambaranar 1,079
20. Tirunelveli 6,970
21. Kanyakumari 1,824


Note on Page 30: Two mother tongues which returned 10,000 or more
Speakers at all India level are grouped under Gujarati in 1991 Census.
They are Gujarao/Gujarau and Saurashtra/Saurashtri.

Gujarati Script which is used in writing Gujarati is a cursive form of
Devanagari which was known as MAHAJANI.


CENSUS OF INDIA 1971 – CENSUS CENTENARY MONOGRAPH NO. 10
LANGUAGE HANDBOOK ON MOTHER TONGUES IN CENSUS

By R.C. Nigam,

Office of the Registrar General, India Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi. Published in 1972.

p. 334 Appendix II Mother Tongues – 1971 Census (Provisional Figures)

showing numerically important mother tongues at Country level as of
1971 with strength of speakers of 5000 and above arranged in descending order of population.

Sl.No. Mother tongue Persons Males Females

68. Saurashtra 181,289 91,080 90,209




CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 VOL I PART II (c) LANGUAGE TABLES
A.MITRA of Indian Civil Service, Registrar General and ex-officio
Census Commissioner of India Published in 1967.

page ccxvi

INDO-ARYAN BRANCH
Inner Sub-Branch
Central Group
GUJARATI

Sl.No. Name of mother tongue speakers.

21. Saurashtra 157,570




page ccxvii

Saurashtra has been returned by 157,570 speakers of which the largest returns are from the State of Madras. (155,392) Equivalent of Saurashtra
in Linguistic Survey has been recorded as Saurashtri which is yet another name of Patanuli dialect of Gujarati spoken by the silk weaving community of Madras who are considered to have migrated from Gujarat to the South several centuries ago. On the basis of current preference for the name of their mother tongue we have, however, adopted the name ‘Saurashtra’ and not Saurashtri. On account of several generations of association in the Dravidian Language area, the speech is supposed to have been strongly affected by Dravidian traits. We preferred to call that dialect of Gujarati with such traits as Saurashtra.

Regarding Saurashtra, however, some interest has been shown, of late, on the technical aspects of this variety while inclination to affiliate it with Marathi is also visible among some scholars. In any case, some authoritative work on this variety of language remains to be done.

Pending the same, however, we have to keep it under Gujarati according to
the Linguistic Survey.





Question: Whether any authoritative work on Saurashtra language has
been done?

Question: If no authoritative work was done, then on what basis,
Saurashtra is classified as a dialect of Gujarati ? Why it is
removed from the list of languages whose speakers are more
than 10,000?

Saurashtra Language is to be treated as a separate Language only.
[The spelling used by the speakers is ‘SOURASHTRA’]

In the list of languages whose speakers are more than 10,000
SOURASHTRA Language is to be included. [The present omission of this language in 1991 census returns is to be rectified]

In the State of Tamil Nadu, the districtwise population of Saurashtrans is stated as ‘Gujarati’ a wrong and misguiding nomenclature which should
be rectified. They should be stated as SOURASHTRA.

When the speakers of Saurashtra (Sourashtra) cannot understand Gujarati,
it is not proper to include it as a dialect of Gujarati. Moreover SOURASHTRA language is written in its own script.

So Census Returns should state ‘Sourashtra’ as a separate language spoken in Tamil Nadu. It has got its own script different from that of Gujarati. It should not be included as a dialect under ‘Gujarati’.

Misguiding information in 1991 Census Report is to be rectified and accordingly 2001 Census figures are to be published with the correct spelling “SOURASHTRA”.

SOURASHTRA LANGUAGE IS A LITERARY LANGUAGE WHEREIN
the translation of the world famous ‘Sanskrit Bhagavath Gita’ and
‘Tamil Thirukkural’ are available. This information is not known to
many Sourashtrans!



O.S.Subramanian,
Secretary,
Sourashtra Vidya Peetam,
21-A, Pacharisikara No.2 Lane,
MADURAI-625001.

E-Mail upamanyuoss@yahoo.co.in

Minor Language Conference held in New Delhi on 24th March 2007.

Minor Language Conference held at New Delhi on 24th March 2007.

2007, the Golden Jubilee Year of Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities
was celebrated by conducting Minor Language Conference on 24th
March 2007 at New Delhi at India International Centre (Annex). Max Muller Road, New Delhi.

The representatives of Minor Languages came to a central place to know their counterparts from other centres and enrich their knowledge by finding the ways and means to improve their Language and Literature.

The Meeting was addressed by Sri Shiv Raj Patil, Minister for Home Affairs and Sri A.R.Antulay, Minister for Minority Affairs.

On behalf of Sourashtra Vidya Peetam, Madurai, its Secretary Sri O.S.
Subramanian attended the Conference [thanks to reimbursement of 2 A/C.
fare, free Hostel accommodation and an allowance of Rs.500].

The extract of the memorandum submitted to the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities by Sourashtra Vidya Peetam is given below.

“Respected Commissioner Sir,
At the outset, on behalf of SOURASHTRA VIDYA PEETAM, MADURAI we would like to say that we are very happy to participate in the Golden Jubilee Celebrations and in the Minor Language Conference being held in New Delhi. We thank you for extending your kind invitation to our Institution representing Sourashtras, one of the Linguistic Minorities of Tamil Nadu.

2. We are of the view that such conferences are to take place periodically to take stock of the developments taken place in implementing the rights guaranteed by Constitution of India.

3. At the State level, every year, a meeting of Representatives of Linguistic Minorities is to be held to assess the progress made in redressing the grievance of Linguistic Minorities.

4. In the State of Tamil Nadu, we are representing Sourashtras and we should be given a place in the Committee of Linguistic Minorities of the State.

5. We have been giving Memoranda to the Commissioner of Linguistic Minorities as and when they visit Tamil Nadu right from the year 1963 when Sri G.S.Tewari, Asst. Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, visited Madurai on 3.10.1963.

6. We are pained to record here that so far nothing has been done by both Central Government and State Government in introducing the teaching of SOURASHTRAM, our Mother Tongue. The State Government’s TWO LANGUAGE formula comes in the way of teaching of Mother tongue in the Schools. A way should be found out.

7. There are some instances where we have to approach the COURTS to ensure our rights guaranteed in the Constitution of India, especially in running Educational Institutions.

8. Census Centenary Monograph No.10 – Language Handbook of mother tongues in census – Census of India 1971—clearly lists “saurashtra” as item No.68 in page No.334. But in the latest Census figures, Saurashtra language is omitted in the list of mother tongues spoken by more than 10000 people. Such lapses should not take place.

9. Very meager time is allotted in All India Radio for the broadcast of Sourashtra programs. We request more time is to be allotted for the broadcast / telecast of Sourashtram programs in AIR/ Doordharshan to quench the cultural thirst of Sourashtras living in Tamil Nadu.

10. The Asst. Commissioner of Linguistic Minorities of respective States should arrange for a meeting of the representatives of Linguistic Minorities with the State Officials to redress the grievance.

11. We trust soon our grievance of not teaching our Mother tongue Sourashtram in Schools will be redressed. THANKING YOU.”


A copy of “MINOR LANGUAGES SPECIAL REPORT by Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, presented in December 2005” was given to the participants.

On Page 64 of the Special Report under the head “Sourashtram” the following is stated.

Sourashtram is an Indo Aryan language spoken in Tamil Nadu Spoken by the persons who migrated there from Gujarat about Seven hundred years ago. Grierson called it Patnuli and included It as a dialect of Gujarati. The people refer to it as Sourashtra or
Sourashtra or Sourashtri. It is claimed that their number is ten Lakhs or more. They mostly reside in MADURAI and Dindigul Districts. The language is not used in the educational stream. Though there is long pending demand for it. The community publishes a magazine in the language. The language has a Script of its own in which some epics were written long ago. Presently the people use the modified form of Tamil script. But a few pages in the magazine are from their own script.


Sri O.S.Subramanian has got the addresses of some of the representatives of other
Minority Languages. He has plans to contact them and learn from their past experience, which will be made use of for the development of Sourashtra Language.

In this connection, he extends invitation to all the enthusiasts of Sourashta Language
for development and introduction of the same in the school curriculum.

Please e-mail your suggestions to upamanyuoss@yahoo.co.in

O.S.Subramanian,
Secretary, Sourashtra Vidya Peetam,
21-A Pacharisikara No.2 Lane, South Masi Street,
Madurai-625001.