Telangana's lost words: How a Facebook group is trying to preserve state's dialects

The group has collected and documented over 50,000 rarely-used words and 1,000 photographs.
Members of the language enthusiasts group
Members of the language enthusiasts group
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Kammalu, Chevipogu, Maatilu, Pustelatadu — these words refer to different gold ornaments and jewellery worn by women in Telangana. Though some people of Telangana would be familiar with these words, until recently they were not commonly used. But, Telangana words, instruments (isirelu),culture -photos, a popular Facebook group is now aiming to revive parts of the local dialect and culture through once-forgotten words and expressions. 

Sudheer Kumar Thandra, a 40-year-old MBA graduate-turned-chicken trader from Jagtial, founded the group in November 2017, along with lingo-cultural enthusiasts Swarna Kilari, Vijay Chitneni, Navin Samala, Om Prasad , Saroja Vinjamara, Snehalatha and others hailing from different parts of the state. 

In over three years, the group has managed to gather more than 13,000 followers to preserve, celebrate and debate the language and folk culture. The group allows any post or photo that comments on peculiar language usage, expressions and words, but bar controversies and political issues. 

Sudheer Kumar, known for his passion for the Telugu language, said that the main purpose behind the group was to preserve and showcase the dialect and culture that is unique to Telangana. 

He said, "One of the core reasons for Telangana agitation was negligence of language and its cultural identity. It is our duty to celebrate and preserve language through all available platforms."

Telangana is home to a variety of Telugu dialects, and as several linguists observe, it changes even within a few square kilometers. For example, pallem, kanchem, ginne and taati are all words meaning “plate.” Mattadi (low capacity dam), alugu (water flow), thumu (water releasing point), vagu (water body with flow) and katta (shore/bank) all refer to local tanks and irrigation in Telangana. Satirical proverbs and folk rituals are also commonly shared in the group. 

According to Sudheer, the group has collected and documented over 50,000 rarely-used words and 1,000 photographs, a notable feat for the three-year-old group. “We are being approached by researchers. We have noticed a change in writing and word usage, and we are hopeful that our membership will continue to rise,” he said. 

The group is also working in collaboration with the Telangana Language and Culture Department, and is planning to release a book later this year with the collected words and photographs. 

"The destruction of language and culture is the beginning of the ruin of any society. We want to preserve the language and culture for generations to come,” he said. 

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