According to the World Economic Forum, India ranks fourth after Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Nigeria in terms of linguistic diversity. In the 2011 Census, India had recorded over 19,500 languages and dialects.
However, India is experiencing a major linguistic crisis. Estimates suggest that India has lost over 250 languages in the last six decades, while UNESCO identifies 197 Indian languages as endangered, their status ranging from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered”. Linguists have warned that if this threat of linguistic genocide continues, then nearly 400 Indian languages, constituting more than half of the country’s lesser-spoken languages, may disappear within the next 50 years.
The Majhi language of Sikkim became extinct in 2016 with the death of its last known speaker. The Saimar of Tripura had only four speakers in 2012, down from 25 just three years earlier. Toda in Tamil Nadu, Birhor in Jharkhand, Aiton in Assam, Nihali in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and Raji in Uttarakhand are among the many indigenous endangered languages.
The role of the State in keeping a language alive can be best understood through the experience of Dogri in Jammu and Kashmir. While Kashmiri has enjoyed greater institutional support in the Valley, including its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule in the Constitution and compulsory teaching in schools up to Class VIII, Dogri, despite being widely spoken in Jammu, was added to the Eighth Schedule only in 2003, but faces institutional neglect. According to a recent survey, the number of people able to read and write in Dogri has declined significantly. Dogri’s fate demonstrates that while constitutional recognition provides legitimacy, languages remain alive when governments give them sustained space in classrooms and everyday life.
The digital domain, while being blamed for accelerating the dominance of
English and contributing to linguistic imperialism, also holds considerable potential for fostering ethno-linguistic resilience. Among the most promising tools in this regard is Artificial Intelligence.
In India, AI-driven initiatives are beginning to create new digital spaces for languages that have historically received limited technological support. Initiatives like Adi Vaani, Bhashini and AI4Bharat are developing tools for translation, speech recognition and access across Indian languages. Most notably, SraVaani, an AI model trained on 65 Indian languages and dialects, including over 40 regional languages, seeks to address a longstanding gap in speech technology. By extending speech technologies to underserved and non-scheduled languages, such initiatives can make these languages more visible in the digital sphere. Similarly, Google’s Endangered Languages Project and community-driven AI voice recordings in northeastern India demonstrate technology’s dual role in documenting and revitalising languages on the brink of disappearance.
The survival of a language, however, ultimately depends on the community that speaks it. The Asur community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group with a population of approximately 24,000, lives primarily in Jharkhand. Its language, Asuri, is classified by UNESCO as “definitely endangered”, lacks institutional support and digital presence, and finds no place in school curricula. Yet, under the leadership of the tribal activist, Vandana Tete, community members have launched the Asur Akhra Mobile Radio. The initiative plays pre-recorded capsules featuring music, traditional stories and local news in Asuri at weekly haats around Netarhat. By bringing the language into public and digital spaces, the initiative has helped raise awareness about Asuri language and culture.
India has long acknowledged its linguistic diversity. But preserving this diversity will require sustained State support, meaningful use of technology and, above all, communities willing to embrace their languages with pride.
Rohan Qurashi is a cultural researcher and writer