Digital Repository for PVTG Oral Literature: Safeguarding India’s Intangible Heritage

The Government of India has embarked on a landmark project to establish a digital archive dedicated to the oral literature of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). This initiative focuses on documenting and preserving folk songs, myths, legends, and traditional stories that have been passed down through generations primarily via oral traditions.

India is home to 75 identified PVTGs across 18 States and one Union Territory. These groups are characterized by declining or stagnant populations, low levels of literacy, and pre-agricultural levels of technology. Most importantly, their languages often lack a formal script, making their rich cultural heritage highly susceptible to being lost as younger generations integrate into mainstream society or migrate for employment.

The digital repository serves as a critical intervention in linguistic and cultural conservation. By utilizing modern recording and storage technologies, the project ensures that the intangible heritage of these groups is documented for posterity. This goes beyond mere academic interest; the oral literature of PVTGs often contains invaluable traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), including insights into local biodiversity, medicinal plants, and sustainable living practices that are relevant to global climate change discourse.

From a policy perspective, this project complements the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), which aims to provide essential services to PVTG households. While PM-JANMAN focuses on physical infrastructure and socio-economic indicators, the digital archive addresses the 'cultural' dimension of development, ensuring that progress does not come at the cost of identity. This initiative aligns with the constitutional mandate under Article 29, which grants citizens the right to conserve their distinct language, script, or culture.