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Active 📍 Assam, India Funded by: Self 2026-04-07 – 2026-08-31

Digital Preservation of the Bishnupriya Manipuri Language and Cultural Heritage

BhoomiTech Heritage and Development Foundation has undertaken a focused digital heritage initiative in support of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community, a linguistic ethnic minority whose language is classified as endangered by UNESCO. Recognising that language loss is closely tied to the loss of oral tradition, script literacy and cultural memory, the Foundation has developed a suite of five purpose-built digital tools

Executive Summary

BhoomiTech Heritage and Development Foundation has undertaken a focused digital heritage initiative in support of the Bishnupriya Manipuri community, a linguistic ethnic minority whose language is classified as endangered by UNESCO. Recognising that language loss is closely tied to the loss of oral tradition, script literacy and cultural memory, the Foundation has developed a suite of five purpose-built digital tools…

Background and Rationale

The Bishnupriya Manipuri community is a linguistic minority with deep historical roots in the Northeast Indianand Bangladeshi cultural landscape. Its language, distinct in script and oral tradition, faces a declining base offluent and literate speakers, placing it at risk of intergenerational discontinuity. UNESCO's Atlas of the World'sLanguages in Danger recognises such communities as priority subjects for documentation and revitalisation.

Programme Structure

Two Complementary Verticals

The Foundation's digital toolkit is organised into two verticals reflecting the dual nature of heritage preservationwork undertaken. Linguistic Preservation & Language Technology tools and Cultural & Geospatial Documentation tools

Vertical A

Linguistic Preservation & Language Technology Tools

These tools form the technical backbone of the Foundation's language-revitalisation effort. Together they allowthe community's script to be typed, read, recognised from historical documents, and cross-referenced against agrowing digital lexicon.

Vertical B

Cultural & Geospatial Documentation Tools

These tools extend the preservation effort beyond language into the community's broader cultural footprint,ensuring that heritage sites, objects, and oral history are recorded and geographically anchored for futuregenerations and researchers.

Alignment with CSR Objectives

The programme directly advances activities recognised under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013,including the promotion of education, protection of national heritage, art and culture, and measures for the benefitof linguistically disadvantaged groups.

Way Forward

Expand OCR Studio's recognition accuracy. Deploy the Translit Lab transliteration engine as a public tool. Conduct structured village-level documentation drives and partner with academic linguists and local educational institutions

Conclusion

Through this integrated suite of digital tools, BhoomiTech Heritage and Development Foundation has establisheda practical, community-anchored infrastructure for the preservation of the Bishnupriya Manipuri language and itsassociated cultural heritage.