Preservation and Promotion
Our People in the Spotlight
Throughout history, the Saurashtrian people have accomplished many great feats. Here are the some of the most notable Saurashtrians in their respective professions.
Source for further reading: http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/eng/Saurashtra_people
This is M.N. Rajam, a well-known Tamil film actress.
This is M.K. Venkatram, a distinguished Tamil writer and translator.
This is N.M.R. Subbaraman, a Tamil Nadu politician and freedom fighter.
This is T.S. Chandrasekar, a world-renowned gastroenterologist.
This is Amarnath Ramakrishna, the head archaeologist of the Keeladi Excavation.
This is T.M. Soundrarajan, a very famous Tamil playback singer.
Our People Today
According to a census conducted by the Indian government in 2011, there are 247,702 Saurashtra speakers in India and only a few thousand around the world. As for Saurashtra speakers in India, many are no longer located in the original Saurashtra region, but instead in the southern cities of Tamil Nadu (e.g. Madurai, Paramakudi, Salem, and Tanjore).
Sources for further reading: https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2033685, and http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/eng/Saurashtra_people.
This is city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India, where many of today's Saurashtrians live.
Preservation of Our Language Today
With English dominating the global scene, the number of people who are able to speak Saurashtra, let alone read or write it, is quickly dwindling. In fact, if no measures are taken today, this already dying language may disappear within a few decades. Therefore, the Saurashtrian community is once again coming together to preserve its one-of-a-kind language. Launching Unicode Fonts, publishing Saurashtra-English dictionaries and newspapers, and educating others on Facebook and WhatsApp, are just a few ways the Saurashtra language and script are being preserved. More so, many of these preservation efforts are carried out solely by the Saurashtrian community itself without government support.
Sources for further reading: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Gujarat-weavers-who-settled-in-Madurai-centuries-ago-brought-with-them-a-unique-language/articleshow/52927461.cms, and https://www.endangeredalphabets.net/alphabets/sourashtra/
This is a new Saurashtra-English dictionary compiled by the Saurashtrian community themselves.
