Dehradun: In a landmark move to protect Uttarakhand’s linguistic legacy and bring it onto digital platforms, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated a voice‑collection portal for Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari on Thursday at the Chief Minister’s Camp Office.
The portal, created by the AI Strategic Engineering (AiSE) Foundation under its “Bhasha AI” programme, debuted with a short Kumaoni‑language clip recorded by the chief minister himself.
Welcoming the effort, CM Dhami emphasized that regional languages form the heart of the state’s identity and culture. He stressed that leveraging modern technology is essential for their preservation and wider dissemination. With artificial intelligence rapidly permeating everyday life, he noted, it is crucial to adapt these languages to emerging tech so that Uttarakhand’s rich linguistic heritage can reach a broader audience.
The government’s goal, he explained, is to enable residents of remote villages to receive information about schemes and services in the language they speak best, and to allow them to voice concerns directly to officials. Achieving this requires AI systems that can accurately comprehend and process local dialects.
Beyond merely compiling a large lexicon, Dhami highlighted the need to capture correct pronunciations and diverse speaking styles. Incorporating these nuances will help AI interpret regional speech more precisely and deliver information in the listener’s preferred tongue.
He pointed out that the same word may be pronounced differently across Uttarakhand’s valleys. By gathering and uploading voice samples through the portal, AI can learn to recognise these regional variations in vocabulary, accent, and intonation.
The chief minister expressed confidence that the initiative will not only safeguard the languages but also forge a stronger link between future generations and the state’s folk arts, culture, and traditions. He extended his best wishes to everyone involved in the project.
Padma Shri award‑winning folk singer Pritam Bhartwan, present at the ceremony, remarked that Uttarakhand’s regional languages embody a wealth of folk life, songs, Jagar traditions and cultural practices. He added that the Jagar Academy will support the effort by ensuring authenticity and proper pronunciation.
Sachidanand Semwal, founder of the AiSE Foundation, explained that the “Bhasha AI” drive is actively collecting words and voice recordings from Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari speakers. The ultimate aim is to empower AI‑based applications to communicate fluently in these languages.
Other dignitaries on the occasion included Shakti Prasad Bhatt, Gajendra Nautiyal, Anirudh Raithwan, Nidhi Semwal, Anil Godiyal, Dr. J.K. Pandey and Dev Raturi.
