Walk through any Indian village or forest belt, and you might hear a language you’ve never come across. It could be the last time anyone does. India, despite its rich linguistic diversity, is quietly losing its lesser-known mother tongues. While official languages like Hindi and English thrive in cities, many indigenous languages are fighting to stay alive.
This silent disappearance is not sudden. It’s a slow drift. Over decades, India has seen the extinction of many of its native tongues. With each lost language, a culture fades away.
India’s Linguistic Wealth
India is among the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. According to the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, the country has over 780 languages. However, only 22 are officially recognised in the Constitution. Most others remain unprotected and under-documented.
The 2011 Census of India recorded around 121 major languages. But many experts believe the real number is far higher. Several tribal languages and regional dialects are spoken by small groups. Many of these do not appear in government records.
In today’s climate, as seen in parts of Maharashtra and the southern states, discussions around linguistic identity have come to the forefront. Debates are rising over which languages should dominate education, administration, and media. These tensions underline how language is deeply tied to pride, memory, and belonging.
The Numbers Tell a Grim Story
In the past 50 years, India has lost at least 220 languages. These include tribal languages like Bo and Aka-Bo, once spoken in the Andaman Islands. The death of the last speaker of Bo, Boa Sr, in 2010 marked the end of a 65,000-year-old culture.
UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger lists more than 190 Indian languages as endangered. Of these, over 20 are critically endangered. That means they have fewer than 100 speakers left.
These are not just numbers. Each dying language takes with it songs, stories and ancestral wisdom.
What’s Causing the Decline?
There are several reasons. One major factor is the rise of dominant languages. Children in tribal regions often attend schools that teach in Hindi or English. Their home languages are ignored in the curriculum. As a result, they grow up without learning their mother tongue.
Urban migration also plays a vital role. Families who move to cities leave behind their native culture. They stop speaking their home language to fit in. Slowly, the language is forgotten.
There’s also a lack of documentation. Many endangered languages are not written down. They survive only in oral traditions. Once elders stop speaking them, the language vanishes.
Government policies have also failed to protect these languages. While efforts exist, they are often limited to symbolic gestures. Local tongues are rarely part of mainstream media, digital platforms or education.
Interestingly, even widely spoken regional languages like Marathi, Tamil or Kannada are now being discussed not for their strength, but for the fear that they may be sidelined in favour of national or global tongues. This is not just a tribal issue anymore.
The Role of Schools and Parents
Another silent contributor to this crisis is the shift in schooling preferences. Many parents now send their children to English-medium or convent schools, believing it ensures a better future. While these schools offer global exposure, they often come at the cost of local roots. Vernacular schools, once the stronghold of regional culture, are losing relevance. These schools did more than teach language. They celebrated local festivals, hosted folk performances, and kept oral traditions alive. When children stop learning in their mother tongue, they slowly lose touch with their cultural identity. Over the time, language becomes just a subject, not a way of life.
Impact on Identity and Culture
A language is not just a tool for communication. It shapes how people think, live and relate to the world. It holds the songs of a community, the prayers of ancestors, and the knowledge passed down through generations.
When a language dies, identity suffers. Communities lose a vital link to their past. Their stories and customs lose meaning without their original words.
Languages also carry ecological knowledge. Many tribal communities understand plants, animals and the land through their native tongue. That wisdom cannot be easily translated.
Where Is the Crisis Deepest?
The threat is most visible in India’s tribal belts. States like Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and parts of the North East face an acute crisis. Here, dozens of languages are spoken by groups of fewer than 1,000 people.
In Arunachal Pradesh alone, over 90 languages exist. However, many of these are now endangered. Some do not even have a written script. That makes preservation even harder.
For instance, the Bugun language, spoken by only 800 people, is now critically endangered. Yet, there is almost no government effort to save it.
Disappearing Languages Across India
The crisis is not limited to a few obscure dialects. Here are some of the Indian languages that are either critically endangered or at the brink of extinction:
- Bo – Andaman Islands (extinct)
- Aka-Bo – Andaman Islands (extinct)
- Saimar – Tripura (spoken by only four families)
- Majhi – Rajasthani dialect with very few speakers
- Mahali – Jharkhand tribal language
- Nahali – Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
- Kurux – Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
- Manda – Odisha
- Sinthali – Arunachal Pradesh
- Toto – West Bengal (spoken by less than 1,500 people)
- Bugun – Arunachal Pradesh (spoken by about 800 people)
- Tai Nora – Assam
- Korku – Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
- Kanda – Himachal Pradesh
- Kharia Thar – Bihar and Jharkhand
- Sentinelese – Andaman Islands (language unknown, unrecorded)
- Birhor – Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh (critically endangered)
- Luro – Arunachal Pradesh
- Ralte – Mizoram
- Naiki – Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
Each name on this list is not just a language lost or fading — it’s a whole worldview slipping away from human memory.
Can These Languages Be Saved?
Yes, but the work must begin now. Experts say that early documentation is crucial. This means recording spoken words, creating dictionaries, and archiving traditional stories. Several universities and NGOs have already started such projects.
Community efforts are also important. Young people must be encouraged to speak their native language at home. Festivals, theatre, and music in local languages can keep them relevant.
States like Odisha have introduced tribal language primers in schools. This is a good start. However, more must be done to make these languages visible in education and public life.
Technology can also play a key role. Mobile apps, online dictionaries and YouTube channels in endangered languages can help. These tools make language learning accessible and engaging for the youth.
Why It Matters to Everyone
This is not just a tribal or rural issue. Losing a language is a loss to humanity. Every language is a unique way of seeing the world. It brings colour, rhythm, and texture to life.
India has always taken pride in its diversity. But true pride lies in protecting what is ours. The goal is not to revive every lost language. It is to ensure that the ones still breathing do not disappear silently.
As states like Maharashtra and Karnataka debate the place of their languages in modern India, the bigger lesson lies in preserving every voice, not just the loudest. Saving languages is saving people. It is saving stories. It is saving India’s soul.
