Dictionary of scheduled tribes of MP

Bhopal, Jan 30: Madhya Pradesh Tribal Research and Development Institute would compile a dictionary of scheduled tribes of Madhya Pradesh. The dictionary, based on tribal culture would have such words, which have their unique meanings in the context of different tribal cultures. A workshop would be held in Bhopal from February 18 to 25 for compiling the dictionary.

Under the special effort by the institute's Language-Culture Division, a workshop would be held for compiling the dictionary in Bhopal from February 18 to 25, 2008 where 72 source persons of various tribal groups living in different districts have been invited. This would, perhaps, be the first dictionary, which would have references to the cultural peculiarities and history of various tribal groups. These references would be included in alphabetical order.

Madhya Pradesh's tribal cultural dictionary would have entries on tribal rituals and rites on the occasion of birth, death, marriage, worship, fairs, festivals as well as references about tribal groups' deities, dances and music, lifestyle, agricultural methods and various other dimensions. In fact, it would be an encyclopedia of tribal culture of Madhya Pradesh. It may be mentioned that Madhya Pradesh Tribal Research and Development Institute had started in 2004 the work of recording and registering tribal wealth and culture of Madhya Pradesh. The institute has already published Gondi-Hindi, Bheli-Hindi and Korku-Hindi dictionaries. Now the grammar books of Gondi, Bhili and Korku tribal dialects and collections of their traditional songs are also be compiled by the institute.