Many mother tongues worldwide are facing a decline in usage and reputation, including Awadhi, spoken in Uttar Pradesh, India. Awadhi has a rich literary heritage—such as Goswami Tulsidas' ‘Ram Charita Manas’ and ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, Malik Mohammad Jayasi's ‘Padmavat’, and the couplets (Dohe) of Sant Kabir Das and Rahim Das—but is still often seen as unsophisticated and inferior. This is partly due to a lack of awareness about its existence, historical significance, and limited use in education and employment. Even UNESCO’s World Atlas of Languages lists Awadhi as having a ‘Potentially Vulnerable’ language status [1].

This project aims to reduce these negative perceptions of Awadhi and challenge them via an interactive exhibition. For this we are targeting young adults aged 17-25 years in schools and colleges in Uttar Pradesh’s Awadh region. We seek to raise awareness related to where this mother tongue is spoken, its rich literary tradition and how it is being used to produce some great songs in the Indian music industry. However, the project, at its current stage, does not aim that people will start speaking Awadhi.

Case Study Download:
• Raising Awareness of the Significance of Awadhi Bhasha_Report......

Final Three Installations of the Awadhi Interactive Exhibit:

Project Achievement:
The project was accepted at the India HCI 2024 Conference, held at IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay. It received recognition as a Special Mention in the Arts and Installations track and was also honored as a Consolation Winner in the HCIPAI Awards for Best Student Projects.