*Bhojpuri is our Heritage, our Identity* Pawan Upadhyay
By Pawan K Upadhyay
Bhojpuri language is the popular local language of eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar That area is known as the Bhojpuri belt. Over two hundred million people speak Bhojpuri. A majority of the migrants during indentureship spoke Bhojpuri, an offshoot of Hindi, both of which trace their origin to Sanskrit like so many other languages including European languages.
An “International Bhojpuri Sangam India” was organized on 22 December in Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, in which people from many countries participated. Azamgarh is a Bhojpuri speaking district from where tens of thousands indentured laborers were recruited to work in slave like conditions in colonies of England, Holland, and France.
The Bhojpuri Sangam was organized internationally for the last thirty years. More than twenty crore (one crore is ten million) people speak Bhojpuri all over the world. Apart from India, Bhojpuri is a popular language spoken in Fiji, Mauritius, and Suriname. Bhojpuri is the first language of India that was taken out of India by Girmitiya people (indentured laborers) to Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands, South Africa, etc. who went to labor on sugar plantation in these countries. This language and Bihari culture was very influential in these countries because most of the Girmitiya people were from eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar. All Girmitia people started speaking this language whether they were from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Rajasthan, Madya Pradesh, and other parts of then India. Bhojpuri became the popular language of all Girmitiyas. And Bhojpuri was also adapted mixing with local language into new dialects like Sarnami Hindi, Fijian Hindi, Guyanese Creolese, Trini Creolese, Mauritian Bhojpuri and dialect, etc.
International Bhojpuri Sangam 2025 was organized at Hariodh Kala Kendra in Azamgarh district with the theme of “Bhojpuri is our heritage, our identity”. Dr. Vijay Dutt, the first commissioner of Nepal, was the chief guest of this program. In this program, Dr Varsha Rani Visheshvar’dulva ji of Girmit country Mauritius who is the chairperson in Mauritius of Bhojpuri Speaking Union. Dr Varsha Rani is also a good Bhojpuri singer. Apart from Thailand, lovers of Bhojpuri literature and language from many other countries participated in this program. The guests said that the sweetness and familiarity that is in the Bhojpuri language is not seen in other languages abroad. The Indentured Labour who took Bhojpuri outside from India is still saved in Fiji, Mauritius, and Suriname, very few people speak Bhojpuri in countries like Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa etc. This program shed light on the sustainable development of Bhojpuri and its all-round development. All the speakers said that Bhojpuri language should be taught to children and to the new generation. In this program, many plays, songs, dances and cultural programs were performed by children.
Arvind Chitrash, who organized the program, who is the secretary/director of this program, expressed his gratitude to everyone for their support and cooperation.
