LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 18:6 June 2018
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
         Dr. S. Chelliah, Ph.D.
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An Ethnolinguistic Study of Koch

Rahamat Shaikh, Ph.D. Research Scholar


Photo by the Author Rahamat Shaikh

Abstract

The present paper aims at providing a preliminary description of the endangered linguistic identity of the Koch community of West Bengal through historical point of view. According to UNESCO (ISO 639-3), this is a severely endangered language in India. Koch consists of an indigenous community in the northern part of West Bengal. Historically major population of Koch community was distributed around different regions of North Bengal, particularly in the districts of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Dinajpur and the plains areas of Darjeeling district and Cooch Behar. Other than North Bengal, they are now living at Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Kamrup, Shonitpur and Darrang districts of Assam; and West Garo-Hills district of Meghalaya and Bangladesh. They are also scattered in a small number almost in all other districts of Assam and six other states of North Eastern India. The 2011 census of India put the number of speakers at 31,119. There are many debates on the origin; ethnic identity of the Koch.Amidst all these debates, it is agreed by most of the scholars, and historians that the Koch originated from Koch, a tribal community belonging to Tibeto-Burman language family (Grierson, 1903).According to Rebati Mohan Saha, they opted for the change of their name without least hesitation in later times. After independence of India, a number of Koch people have changed their name from the Koch to the Rabha to get maximum benefit from the government.Asa result of this process there are many cases of anomaly: a father with a Koch title but his son having a Rabha one. At present the Koches and the Rabhas are their sect-names with their title, such as the ‘Kama’, ‘Hakasam’, ‘Bantho’, ‘Nogra’, etc.

While we often describe the modern era - framed by the Post-Enlightenment narrative - as one marked by an unprecedented concern for identity and identification, there are many debates on the origin, ethnic identity of the Koch. Still it is agreed by most of the scholars andhistorians that the Koch originated from Koch-Rabha or Rabha, a tribal community who belonged to Indo- Mongoloid race.

Keywords:

Focus of This Paper

I propose to focus on many registers of identity politics, namely, caste and ethnicity and make a case study of the Koch of North Bengal, West Bengal. Since the colonial period huge number of people of different castes, classes and religions migrated to this region, particularly in the post- colonial period huge number of people migrated from East Bengal, as a result they became dispossessed minority in North Bengal without their own land and property. Moreover, because of changing their title most of the people have faced different types of crises and problems. This paper would then examine the historical evolution of Koch identity as well as about language and in all terms of culture in their livelihood.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Rahamat Shaikh Ph.D. in Documentary Linguistics (pursuing)
University of Hyderabad
Gachibowli
Hyderabad-500046
Telangana
rahamatamu@gmail.com

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