Why a community-run Gondi-language school in Gadchiroli is a revolutionary step

In the village of Mohagaon, deep in the thick forests of Maharashtra’s easternmost district Gadchiroli, each day starts with the sounds of children singing traditional Gondi songs.

“Dharti Yayal Aval Nima,
Jivang Pose Kevan Nima,
Podade Veche Nede Vata,
Narka Piyal Roje Anta.

Dear Earth, you are our mother and our father.
You are the nurturer of all living beings.
Each day we experience cycle of day and night,
navigating through the darkness,
until the light of the sun blesses us anew today.”

Mohagaon is home to a community-run Gondi-medium school. Gondi is the language of the Gond Adivasi community, the original inhabitants of the Gondwana region in Central India, spread across parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Despite being spoken by nearly three million people according to the 2011 census, and claimed to be even more than that, Gondi is not formally recognised by the Indian state.

As a result, Gondi children are schooled in other languages, thus losing touch with their native cultural language and practices.

In recent years, a community-wide struggle has arisen to reclaim the language and the cultural heritage tied to it. “State neglect puts both the language and the rich culture and customs it represents in danger of extinction,” said Devsay Atla, a member of Mohagaon gram sabha. “We are forced to take...

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