Bhasha Research and Publication Centre
The Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Vadodara was established in 1996 as a voluntary organization for the study, conservation, and promotion of tribal languages, literature, history, culture, arts and crafts. It is also concerned with the socio-economic welfare of tribals and protection of their human rights. The organization works at present in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
Bhasha's goals are to discover, publish, and promote the linguistic, literary and artistic heritage of tribal communities in India; to collaborate with existing national academies and research institutes of arts and literature to encourage further research and publication at the national level; and to establish an academy of formal instruction for the promotion of tribal languages, literature, arts, and culture.
The major areas of work of Bhasha have been conservation and promotion of minority languages, education, healthcare and empowerment of Adivasi communities in India, protection of human rights of the Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), study and development of Adivasi arts, and policy level interventions in the interest of ecology, human rights and Adivasi empowerment.
Publications
In order to save the tribal languages (about 80 which do not have a script and are transmitted orally) from extinction, Bhasha publishes a magazine called Dhol in 11 tribal languages (Ahirani, Dungri Bhili, Panchamahali Bhili, Kunkna, Dehvali, Rathawi, Bhantu, Choudhri, Gor-Banjara, Pawri, and Marathi). Dhol has emerged as a platform on which tribal intellectuals can share their cultural knowledge and practices with the other tribals of India. The magazine reaches about 2,000 village readers in each language. Bhasha also recently began to publish books in these tribal languages.
Bhasha has also created a new convention, which has been adopted by India's National Academy of Literature (the Sahitya Akademi), for the written transcription of tribal languages. The Sahitya Akademi recently awarded Bhasha the honor of producing 40 volumes of literature in tribal languages.
In addition to Dhol, Bhasha publishes the magazine Budhan, a newsletter for the denotitled and nomadic communities of India.
Tribal Artists Cooperative
Bhasha has initiated a Tribal Arts Cooperative to encourage, conserve and market the tribal communities' indigenous crafts most of which have distinct styles and use local and environmentally friendly material. The idea was mooted when Bhasha had organized a three month workshop in 1998 for 300 artists in which they produced sculptures, paintings, beadwork, canework, pottery, and textiles. The members of the Cooperative benefit from Bhasha's national exposure to sell their work while retaining 100 percent of the profits.
Micro-credit Scheme
In order to create a supplementary source of income for the tribals, Bhasha initiated a poverty alleviation programme in the form of a micro-credit scheme, in association with the State Bank of India, Tejgadh, and the Punjab National Bank, Baroda. Since July 1999, Bhasha has established 100 self-help groups in 40 tribal villages. Income generated through agriculture and arts is channelized into savings from which individuals can avail loans at standard rates, primarily for agriculture and entrepreneurship in traditional arts and crafts. More than 1200 individuals benefit from this programme. It also effectively neautralises exploitative money lenders. The scheme also enables tribals to develop a sense of saving surplus income and realizing a profit from its investment.
Tribal Academy
Bhasha has established a tribal academy at Tejgadh, a tribal village 90 kilometers from Vadodara. The academy currently hosts 15 students registered for the Post Graduate Diploma in Tribal Studies programme. The curriculum includes tribal folklore, languages, history, economy, law and human rights, culture, arts, and crafts. Students are trained in developmental economics so that they can take up the work of social reconstruction and economic empowerment in tribal areas. The academy also conducts courses to enhance special tribal skills in arts and crafts, entrepreneurship, diversification of occupations, modernization of agriculture and forest development. No examination is conducted at the end of the teaching program; evaluation is based on individual performance.
Other Projects
Bhasha also runs: a computer training center for the tribal students of Tejgadh, in which basic and advanced courses are taught; a library in Ahmedabad for the denotified tribes; a mobile library that operates in 25 villages of Chhota Udepur district; and Prakriti Health-Care, a mobile health care unit in the tribal villages of Gujarat that organizes health care camps in the most interior villages. In addition to these programmes, Bhasha has instituted an annual lecture series in memory of Verrier Elwin -- remembered as the most influential advocate of tribal culture in India -- to which Bhasha invites a large number of tribal intellectuals from various states. Each year, an archery competition is organized to bridge the gap between the police department and the tribals and to promote amity.
Bhasha's primary interest is to study, record, and promote the tribal civilization of India before it disintegrates altogether. The work is done with very little governmental support.
Source of Information: http://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/india/Bhasha-research-publication-center