Bhojpuri Sahitya Sammelan ends with call for Jharkhand’s second official language status

Jamshedpur: The two-day 27th session of the All India Bhojpuri Sahitya Sammelan concluded on Sunday at Tulsi Bhawan, Bistupur, with discussions encompassing the rich cultural heritage of Jharkhand and the Bhojpuri language. During the Dr. Nirbhik Memorial Lecture, Dwivenu Tripathi emphasized the historical connection between Jharkhand and Bhojpuri, drawing parallels with the Magadha Empire.

Highlighting the distinctive cultural elements of Jharkhand, Tripathi described it as a region where iron utensils, food in sal leaves, and sleep in palm leaf huts are commonplace. In the context of Jharkhand, he asserted that discussions about Bhojpuri are incomplete without acknowledging Nagpuria. He recognized the significant literary contributions made in Chotanagpur and Nagpuria, stressing that Bhojpuri and Nagpuria are not fundamentally different. Drawing a comparison, he likened the linguistic differences between Bhojpuri and Nagpuria to those between the Bengali languages spoken in West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Tripathi brought attention to the fact that although Bhojpuri had initially been granted the status of the second official language in Jharkhand, this recognition was later revoked. He urged for a measured response to this setback, emphasizing the importance of intellectual efforts to reclaim the linguistic status. Additionally, he mentioned the ongoing work of Acharya Hareram Chaitanya, who is compiling a dictionary that combines Bhojpuri, Mundari, and Nagpuri languages.