CHANDRAPUR

Chandrapur is a district in eastern Maharashtra, located in the Vidarbha region and bordered by Bhandara, Wardha, and Nagpur. The area is known for its dense forests, coalfields, and a long history of settlement by different communities. This setting has shaped the way people speak here, creating a mix of language varieties that reflect both local roots and outside influences.

Interestingly, locals often refer to their way of speaking as “Jhadi Boli” or “Zadi Boli”, literally meaning “bush language.” The term hints at the natural environment of the region and how closely it’s tied to daily life and communication. The district is also home to several speech communities, each having their own style and tradition. While Marathi is the most commonly spoken language, others like Hindi, Telugu, Varhadi, Halbi, and Gondi are also widely used across the district.

Remarkably, the 2011 Census of India data reveals that several languages are spoken as mother tongues in Chandrapur district. At the time of the Census (2011), Chandrapur district had a total population of approximately 22 lakh (22,04,307).

Of this population, 83.63% reported Marathi as their first language. This was followed by Hindi (7.07%), Telugu (2.56%), and Gondi (1.59%). Smaller linguistic communities included Urdu (0.98%), Bengali (0.78%), Banjari (0.66%), Chhattisgarhi (0.48%), and Kolami (0.27%). Other languages spoken as mother tongues included Gujarati (0.25%), Punjabi (0.22%), Bhojpuri (0.17%), Marwari (0.15%), Sindhi (0.14%), Kannada (0.13%), Goru/Gorwani (0.13%), Halbi (0.12%), Odia (0.10%), Tamil (0.10%), Malayalam (0.09%), and Rajasthani (0.04%).

Gondi is a language spoken by the Gond people across central India, in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Gujarat. In Chandrapur district, according to the 2011 Census, Gondi was the fourth most widely spoken mother tongue, spoken by 1.59% of the population (a total of 35,138 people).

The origins of Gondi have been the subject of multiple theories. The traditional view maintains that Gondi has primarily existed as an oral language without a written script. However, it has been noted in the Languages of Maharashtra (2017) that this perspective has been challenged by scholars such as Motiram Kale, who argues that Gondi is an ancient language that once served as the official language of the ancient Gondwana Kingdom, complete with its own script and literary tradition. Scholar Vyankatesh Atram claims that hieroglyphs discovered in Gondwana are actually Gondi script and that it served as the official language of the Kuyava Kingdom in the pre-Rigveda period. According to this theory, the written script disappeared when Duryon, the Kuyava capital, was destroyed around 3201 BCE.

Despite these historical shifts, this language has endured beautifully in its oral form. Unfortunately, it has been classified as a “vulnerable language” in UNESCO’s 2009 report, which states that while most children still speak Gondi, its use may be restricted to certain domains.

Gondi is classified as part of the Dravidian language family in the Chandrapur Gazetteer (1972) and as mentioned above, is spoken across central India. However, rather than existing as a single uniform variety, Gondi exhibits significant dialectal diversity. The influence of surrounding languages, such as Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, and Chhattisgarhi, has contributed to regional variations in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammatical structures.

It is listed in the volume Languages of Maharashtra (2017), that there are more than 13 vowel sounds (counting all the short, long, uncommon vowels and diphthongs) and more than 37 consonant sounds in the Gondi language. They are as follows:

Gondi includes a distinct set of kinship terms that differ and are phonologically unique.

Gondi is spoken differently across Gondia, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, and Chandrapur in Maharashtra. In these areas, the language is in close contact with Hindi and Marathi, which has led to gradual shifts in vocabulary.

In many cases, original Gondi words have been replaced by borrowed forms, especially in everyday contexts. In other cases, certain words in Gondi may look or sound similar to words in Hindi or Marathi, but carry different meanings. For instance, The word मुलगी (mulgī) means mother’s elder sister in Gondi, whereas in Marathi, it means girl. These kinds of terms are often referred to as false friends [words that appear the same across two languages but differ in meaning]. 

Other terms, like सकार (sakār) for morning or दुपार (dupar) for afternoon, resemble their counterparts in Marathi and Hindi, and may be considered as borrowings which have slight alterations in the way they are pronounced and spelled.

Some Gondi words also resemble terms in Marathi or Sanskrit in both sound and meaning. As noted in Languages of Maharashtra (2017), Vyankatesh Atram has pointed to certain Gondi terms as being possible sources for later Marathi words. For example:

• कलुष (kaluśa) – coal → is believed to be the possible source for the Marathi word कोळसा (kolasā)
  
• जावा उन्माल (jāva unmāl) – having a meal → similar to Marathi जेवण (jevaṇ)
  

While the direction of influence is debated, such overlaps point to long-standing interaction between Gondi and neighboring languages.

Varhadi is a language variety that is mainly spoken in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, in districts such as Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, and Yavatmal. This region is sometimes called ‘Varhad Pradesh’, as noted by Deepdhwaja Kosode (2017). The Vidarbha region has a long history, and is even mentioned in ancient texts like the Mahabharata as a legendary kingdom.

Varhadi is well known for a number of phonetic (sound) changes, differences in vocabulary, and grammatical features that make it distinct from other language varieties.

One of the most noticeable features of Varhadi is that the sound “ल” (la) is often replaced with “ड” (da). For example the word ‘बोल (bol)’ which means ‘to speak’ in English becomes बोड (bod) in Varhadi. This change is quite common and perhaps gives Varhadi speech a smoother and simpler sound in everyday use.

Another interesting feature, noted in the Amravati District Gazetteer (1968), is that long vowels, especially at the ends of words, are often shortened in Varhadi speech. This sound change perhaps makes words comparatively simpler and quicker to say. For example:

These forms come from longer versions जवळ (javal) and उडविला (udavila), but the final vowels are shortened in daily speech. In many words, the vowel ‘a’ is used instead of ‘e’, especially in future tense verbs and some nouns. This can be seen in examples like:

There is also a pattern where ‘i’ and ‘e’ are replaced by ‘va’ in some words. This results in forms like:

In addition, the sound ‘v’ is often weak or missing when it comes before ‘i’ and ‘e’. Because of this, words like vistav, vis, and vel are often heard in shortened forms:

These examples show how Varhadi simplifies pronunciation in everyday speech, making it distinct from other varieties. Such sound changes are a key part of what gives Varhadi its unique character.

Aside from pronunciation, Varhadi also has vocabulary that is both familiar and region-specific. Speakers of Varhadi use some words that are common across Marathi and Hindi, and some that are specific to the region. For example, आलू (ālu) for potato is used in both Varhadi and Hindi, while सिगल (sigal), meaning cup or container, is more region-specific.

Family terms in Varhadi reflect close relationships and often have local variants. Some of these, such as porgi and porga, are also used in other parts of Maharashtra, but forms like katti and katta show regional variation.

The terms for body parts in Varhadi, in many ways, reflect its unique phonetic features. For example, टेकुर (head) and केपज (forehead) highlight the differences from standard pronunciations of similar words in other regions.

Colour terms in Varhadi also differ slightly from forms that one can usually find in Hindi or Marathi, often showing simplified or altered sounds.

Proverbs are an important part of oral tradition. They carry life lessons, humor, and cultural values, passed down through generations. These sayings often reflect practical wisdom and comment on everyday situations that are spoken in Varhadi.

Jhadi is a language variety spoken across four districts in eastern Maharashtra (where Chandrapur lies), a region often referred to locally as the “Jhadi Patti” or “Jhadi Mandal.” This variety holds historical significance, with early literary mentions that trace back nearly a millennium.

Dr. Harishchandra Borkar in the volume Languages of India (2017), mentions that Jhadi appears in the poetic work Viveksindhu, written by Mukundraj, who is regarded to be one of the earliest Marathi literary poets in 1110 CE. He says that, “many words of this variety can also be found in the prose work edited around the same time by Mhaimbhatt [म्हाइंभट, the writer of the book Lilacharitra, who is associated with the Mahanubhav Panth].” In this work, Borkar writes, the region of Jhadi Mandal is directly identified as the homeland of Jhadi-speaking people.

Jhadi includes several words for everyday objects and actions that differ from standard Marathi. One notable pattern is the frequent use of the suffix “-ना”, especially in verbs, a feature that gives the variety a recognisable rhythm.

This -ना (-nā) ending appears consistently across many verbs. It likely serves as a marker of action and is used widely in both descriptive and process-related verbs.

Kohali, also referred to as Kohalauu or Koharau, is the language spoken by the Kohali community, who in Maharashtra, are noted to reside across the districts of Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, and Chandrapur. The Kohalis are associated with reservoir-building and watercraft, and are believed to have been brought to the region from Kashi (Varanasi) around 500 years ago by Gond rulers.

Interestingly, despite their North Indian origin, it is mentioned in the volume Languages of Maharashtra (2017) that they have no “resemblance to the languages of the North,” except for perhaps Hindi. Over centuries, it has developed into a distinct regional speech variety.

As a distinct speech variety, Kohali has its own variations when it comes to pronunciation. One notable phonological feature in Kohali is the replacement of the “l” sound with “r”. Very remarkably, this is reflected even in how speakers refer to themselves: Kohali becomes Kohari or Koharau in local pronunciation.

Kohali includes several unique words for common items, along with regional variations of words that resemble Hindi but differ in sound or form.

An interesting sound pattern in Kohali which can be observed here involves the replacement of the “ch” sound (as in छ) with “s” (स) in certain words. For example, the word for chest is commonly छाती (chātī) in Hindi and Marathi, but appears as साती (sātī) in Kohali. Another example is hole, which is usually छेद (ched) or छिद्र (chidra), but becomes सेद (sed) in this variety.

These kinds of substitutions, in many ways, help shape Kohali’s distinct pronunciation system and mark it as different from neighbouring languages, even when the words share a similar root or meaning.

Kohali kinship terms are especially rich and complex, structured by gendered perspectives. Terms can differ depending on whether the speaker is male or female, and whether the term refers to one’s own family or in-laws.

Kinship vocabulary falls into three categories:

1. General terms (used by anyone)
   
2. Male speaker’s perspective
   
3. Female speaker’s perspective
   

This gendered variation shows how Kohali organizes family and social roles linguistically, offering insight into the community’s social structure and ways of relating. Also as mentioned above, a notable sound shift in Kohali is the replacement of “l” with “r.” Here, one can observe how the Hindi word साला (sālā), meaning wife’s brother, is realized in Kohali as सारा (sārā).

Halbi is a language variety spoken by the Halba community, who originally lived across Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. Over time, it is said that this group migrated westward, first to Kanker in Bastar, and later into Maharashtra. Today, when it comes to Maharashtra, Halbi speakers can be found in districts such as Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur, Yavatmal, and Amravati.

In Languages of Maharashtra (2017), Vinayak Tukaram notes that the Halbas were known for their military service and often received land from Gond rulers. Traditionally, they worked in agriculture and maintained a rich oral tradition. Tukaram also describes Halbi as a mix of Chhattisgarhi, Odia, and Marathi. This has resulted in regional varieties of Halbi, sometimes referred to as Bastariya Halbi, Chhattisgadiya Halbi, and Marathi Halbi, depending on local influence.

Halbi is spoken in areas where Marathi is the majority language. Many Halbi speakers also know Marathi, so they often use Marathi words in everyday speech. These borrowed words are typically used for common actions and are pronounced similarly to Marathi.

Halbi also has many unique words that are not borrowed from Marathi or other nearby languages. These are used regularly and reflect Halbi’s distinct identity.