Jadavpur University Collaborates with UK University to Document Nepali, Bodo, Lepcha & Kudmali Texts

MP, KOLKATA, NOV 16, 2025 : The Centre for Translation of Indian Literatures (CENTIL) at Jadavpur University (JU) is collaborating with the UK-based University of East Anglia (UEA) on a Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) project. The project aims to increase access to the rich traditions of four languages in Bengal—Nepali, Bodo, Lepcha, and Kudmali—through documentation and translation of key oral and written texts.

Bengal is home to 28 different language communities, each with its own rich repertoire of songs, tales, and stories. However, much of this cultural heritage remains unknown to the general public. By translating key texts from these marginalized languages, the project seeks to make these cultures and communities more visible in the Indian national imagination. It also aims to help preserve and strengthen these traditions, facilitating their inclusion in academic curricula and enhancing public perception and understanding of India’s multiculturalism.

"Moreover, this kind of work promises to boost our understanding of Indian Knowledge Systems, which is one of the key recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020," said Professor Sayantan Dasgupta, from the Department of Comparative Literature at JU, who is the principal investigator of the project.

The project is progressing through field research, including interviews with community leaders, singers, and storytellers from the four language communities. As a result, the team has created a small archive of audiovisual research material. The team is also working towards publishing a book on "Academic Social Responsibility" and the role of translation in it, along with an annotated catalog of key genres from Nepali, Lepcha, Bodo, and Kudmali, featuring English translations of texts from these genres. These are expected to be completed by December 2025.

The project, titled "Academic Social Responsibility and Humanities in India: Researching, Archiving, and Translating Indigenous and Marginalized Languages of West Bengal," has already hosted visits and lectures by UEA partner faculty. The initiative is based on the idea that universities have a responsibility toward the larger society and play a crucial role in nation-building.