Khandeshi Languages - Dilemma of Ahirani & Khandeshi

Dilemma of Ahirani & Khandeshi

The views of Dr. Ramesh Sitaram Suryawanshi on Ahirani and Khandeshi are explained in detail in his linguistic study of Ahirani. Several of his books on the linguistic study of the Ahirani dialect have been published. Ahirani Bhasha Vaidnynik Abhyasa is a linguistic study of Ahirani. It explains the grammar formation of words and formation of sentences in Ahirani. Another book named Ahirani-shabdkosh is the first dictionary of the Ahirani dialect, with nearly 10000 words lexicographically arranged. Aharani Mhani Ani Wakprachar records one thousand sayings and four thousand proverbs in the Ahirani dialect, with the illustration of their meanings. All these books were published by Akshaya Prakashan, Pune in 1997. His fourth book, Khandeshatil Krishak Jivan Sachitra Kosha, is a pictorial dictionary of words used by the farmers in Khandesh. The book contains pictures of the tools used by farmers, with all tools and parts labeled with local names in Ahirani dialect. It was published by Maharashtra State Governments Sahitya Ani Sanskriti Mandal, Mumbai, in 2002. Dr. Ramesh Suryawanshi explains Ahirani and Khandeshi in detail. His explanation is elaborated in this article.

Ahirani or Khandeshi is spoken in Khandesh, the old name of an area which covers today's part of Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar and part of Nasik and Aurangabad districts. Originally Ahirani was spoken by the Ahiras, shepherds who lived with their cows, sheep, goats and bedfellows in the grassy land of Khandesh (previously named Khandav Van). Khandesh was the old district of Bombay Presidency. Kahan means dry grass or grass land. Khan means pure. Khan means large ditch. Khandesh is an area surrounded by Satpuda, Ajanta and Chandwad ranges, and Waghur river. This big basin or ditch was grassland, useful for cattle. It is the basin of the Tapi and Narbada rivers. Ahirani is the caste-based name of the dialect, and Khandeshi is the region-based name of the dialect.

When a large number of Ahiras arrived in Khandesh with their cattle they settled in Khandesh. Meanwhile they indulged in various social roles. People around them tried to imitate their dialect while speaking with them. Lewa, Wani, Bhill and Pardeshi castes all have their own dialect, yet they started speaking mixed Ahirani (Ahirani affected by their dialect). This process took place in Khandesh territory. The dialect spoken by the people of Khandesh was known outside the region as Khandeshi. In Khandesh the dialect spoken by the Ahiras was known as Ahirani. Khandeshi is the larger dialect which incorporates Ahirani. Socially, Khandeshi is classified in Ahirani, Bhilli, Pardeshi, Lewa-Patidar, in such sub-dialects.

Chalisgaon, Dhule is the center of Ahirani dialects. Chandwadi is spoken around Chandwad hills, Nandubari is spoken around Nandurbar, Jamnerior Tawadi is spoken around Jamner tehsil, Taptangi is spoken by the side of Tapi, Tapti river. Dongarangi is spoken by the side of forest Ajanta hills. All these are region-based names for Khandeshi sub-dialects. All are regional categories. Ahirani, Gujari, Bhilau, Maharau, Lewa and Purbhi all are social (caste-based) categories of Khandeshi.

Ahirani is today spoken in the Jalgaon (except Bhusaval,Amalner,Jamner, Bodwad, Muktainagar), Nandurbar, Dhule and Nashik (Baglan, Malegaon and Kalwan tehsils) districts of Maharashtra, India. It is further divided into dialects such as Chalisgaon, Malegaon and Dhule group. Borrowing and bending the words from Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati, Ahirani has created its own words not found in any of these languages. Ahirani is basically in colloquial form and uses the Devanagari script for its writing. Bahinabai Chaudhari is a well-known poet of Khandesh, and the study of her literature is studied and included in Marathi language. But the language in her poems is different from Ahirani but affected by Ahirani. Some say the poet is not Ahirani, but Lewa. But Lewa and Ahirani are sub-dialects of Khandeshi. So Khandeshi is the term or concept that merges all disputes. It is a wide region-based concept.