National SC/ST Commission vice-chairman Gajendra Singh Raju Khedi (centre) and Sahitya Akademi award winner Babu Bihari Lakra (right) at the seminar. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Oct. 14: The importance of preserving Kuduk, a language spoken by the Oraons, was discussed here today on the first day of a two-day seminar organised by the Welfare Association of Tribals of Chhotanagpur (WATCH).

Executive member of the association, Ashok Kumar Baxla, said Kuduk is one of the most common tribal languages in the state and needs to be preserved. During an official one-year trip to Germany, Baxla said, he had to attend classes for four months to learn German to make his presentations and this experience inspired him to learn his mother tongue.

“The experience of learning a foreign language in such a short time made me realise how important it was to know one’s own language. If I could learn a foreign language there was no reason why our people shouldn’t learn their own mother tongue,” said the scientist of the science and technology department of the Union government.

Arun Oraon, a deputy inspector-general of police in Chandigarh who addressed the gathering, said people should not forget their roots no matter where they live.

“I reside out of the state and at times experience an identity crisis,” he said, and added: “The language is an important tool in preserving the culture of the community as well.”

Another speaker blamed “Westernisation” for the decline of Kuduk. “Education has definitely helped promote the community, but at the same time children are not interested in picking up a language that is not recognised by the outside world. For them the proposition is not practical and they tend to ignore the (vernacular) language,” he said.

A documentary on Kuduk-speaking Oraons was also screened.

The film highlighted the plight of the tribals who had migrated to Bengal and Assam to work in the tea gardens.