SAURASHTRA CULTURE SURVIVING TEAM

For the past few hundreds of year from migration (1400 years before) from Saurashtra, we celebrate Rama-navami and Krishna Jayanthi (Janmashtami) traditionally without gap. Usually Rama navami celebrated ten days and Krishna jayanthi takes one day. The folk-dance in humor form has performed entire Ramayana on the ten-day celebration. Now a days particularly for the past 30 years the celebration comes nearly an end in Tamil Nadu sourashtrians. No folk singers remaining. Now in Salem only one folk-singer is remaining. No folk dancers! To preserve and save the tradition, an organisation and folk group created by G.R. Paneer selvam. The organisation called SALEM SAURASHTRA SRI KRISHNA BRINDAVANA KOLATTA KALAI KUZU. Stated at 1989.

The folk group now in Male and female group as its part.

The male group performed many programmes in many occasions at Tirupati Devastanam, Taramangalam Temple, Chinna tirupati Temple, Sri Rangam Temple, Prahadeeswara temple's Kumbabishekam, Tanjore and as usually yearly Rama navami and Krishna jayanthi in Salem.

They also conducted one Sourashtra language play and patti manram.

The contacting persons are G.R. Tulasiram & G.R. Paneer selvam, Cell PHone : 9790619522.

SCRIPT OF SOURASHTRA

We the migrants from Sourashtra who are settled in Tamil Nadu. At the time of migration (Approx.ly 1200 years before) first settlement at Salem and sorrounding places. After that, Tanjure settlement then Madurai. On those days, we are Traditional weavers, and treated as 'sutras' category. Only the Brahmin community having knowledge of script and treated as Pandit's, Guru's Prohits. We sousrashtrians though Ex-brahmins, we have food habbit of meat as well as Brahminical identity as wearing Holy -thread on body (jenjam)

Because of our communication gap with mother-land we forgot many things like our traditional sou.dress and marriage sampradayams. We today follow south Indian sampradayams. The only thing remaining to bind with our mother land is our language. We preserved our language wel as in sanskrit tradition. While in 1960 the STATE OF SOURASHTRA divided into states (Maharashtra and Gujarat) in the name of Sourashtra language's two dialects emerges as invidual languages. We the migrants did'nt had any impact of these dividion on our language because we are far-away from mother land and without any and nil communication with our motherland. So today our Sourashtra is in the similar state like sanskrit in some ways. So we became very minority language today. Recently CIIL guided us as our script is Deva-nagari script. We are now communicated with this script with our mother-land people also. Though our language is older than sanskrit, our script also be the older one. NOT some hundred years old one, and logically not suitabe to our language. ( I mention Ramarai's script).

I had a post-card, a rare collection, which was posted from our mother land sourashtra. That post card written in Deva-nagar script. ( not on ramarai script) It was atleast 200-400 years old. and having Sign of " SAURASHTRA POSTATE" instead " India Postage". That post-card alone tell many history.

For reference, see the Deva-nagari script on pic which was guided to suit Our mother tongue Sourashtri. It was guided by CIIL.

Sri Somnatheswar Ashram

Sri Somnatheswar Ashram. This Ashram Temple residing at North-East direction from Salem Railway Station. The Ashram 20 Kms away from Salem Railway Station. This Ashram was established by Sri. Subramanya Swami. He born in Sourashtra family. His surname is Boosi. He got Deeksha from Sri. Ramana maharishi of Tiruvannamalai.

By 1904 he established the Ashram. He built a Temple of Somnath at his Ashram site situated at Naama Malai, Sivan Karadu. The first Kumbaabishekam held on 9-5-1951. The date fixed because, which India's Union Ministor Sardar VallabhBhai patel's proposal of Lord Somnath Temple at Sourashtra shore of North india kumbabishekam held on the same date. Two other representative of sourashtra people attended the North India's Lord somnath temple kumbaabishakam. For Salem temple's Kumbabishekam, The Governor of Tamil Nadu of that time Mr. P. Govindan Nair is invited. He gave wishes to the Salem Somnath temple.

The Second Kumbabishekan held on 14-7-2006. So many sourashtra people participated on that ceremoney.

Unwritten Language

Being one of the language, which gave its part to form Sanskrit language ( As in Panini's Sanskrit vyakarana ) its influence in every language of India and Indo-Aryan language families. Not it is spoken in traditional way by nearly ten lakh people. But not till not in " Scheduled language List " released by Government of India. In the scheduled languages list, it is wrongly mentioned as a dialect of Gujarati language.!

Though there is no script for sourashtra language. It is spoken like veda till the recent years. And another interesting thing is only the migrators of sourashtra are preserving the language. The original sourashtra living people used to speak Gujarati. Gujarati has very large persian influence. But the migrators of sourashtra ( living in South India ) is in old form like Sanskrit and having influence of Telugu and Tamil.

Recently Central Institute of Indian Languages came forward to assist the development of Sourashtra language. It proposed to follow Devanagari script to write sourashtra language. All India Sourashtra Madhya Sabha trying to teach Sourashtra language in their educational institutions through Devanagari script. The adoption of Devanagari script for sourashtra language in progress. A primary book is going to release by CIIL.

Considering sounds, For hrasva sound two more alphabets added in devanagar script, to write sourashtra. It is followed from the Guide line of Government of India's ' Parivarthana Devanagari Script Chart " . It is in above picture.

தும்ரே கருத்துன் மொகோ லிக்குவோ. மோர் மெயில் ratheeth@gmail.com