MSSW to Launch New Certificate Course on Toda Language and Culture in August

The Madras School of Social Work (MSSW) is set to launch a new four-month certificate course on the Toda language and culture this August. Spearheaded by the institution's Centre for Social Justice and Equity (CSJE) with support from the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar and tribal welfare department, the programme is believed to be the first of its kind in the state.

The initiative aims to safeguard the endangered Toda language, which has no native script. According to MSSW principal S Raja Samuel, rapid modernization, migration, and a declining number of native speakers have placed the language under an increasing threat, making preservation efforts urgent.

The proposed 90-hour certificate programme will comprise three papers focusing on Toda language, culture, and traditional craft. The curriculum will introduce participants to the history, customs, folklore, and craftsmanship of the Toda community, who are recognized as one of Tamil Nadu's Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups living in the upper Nilgiris.

To ensure authentic instruction, the CSJE has roped in experts to help design and teach the curriculum. These include Vasamalli, an eminent Toda writer and poet, and Tarun Chhabra, who was instrumental in securing the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Toda embroidery. The course will be open to graduates interested in studying endangered languages.

R Pavananthi Vembulu, director of CSJE, stated that the programme aims to document indigenous knowledge systems and encourage younger generations to value tribal heritage.

In tandem with this course, MSSW is also introducing a certificate programme on the documentation of tribal languages. The CSJE has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Computational Resource for South Asian Languages (CoRSAL) at Indiana University, USA, to provide technical support and train local researchers to ethically collect, transcribe, and permanently archive endangered dialects.