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Lakshmi Ashram and the Kumaun: Young Women and Gandhian Educators in Their Linguistic and Educational Context

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The Ecology of Language in Multilingual India

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities ((PSMLC))

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Abstract

This chapter introduces a group of Kumauni young women, Govindi and her peers, within their educational context, a unique Gandhian girls’ school known as Lakshmi Ashram. I also situate Kumauni linguistically and in relation to the language’s status and vitality. I describe the research setting, starting from the micro level and extending to the macro level: from Lakshmi Ashram, to the town of Kausani and the government high school there, to the nearby village of Dholara, to the Kumaun region in which these are situated, and finally describing the Kumauni people and language. In this way, I present the various influences on the lives of Kumauni young women, particularly as they pertain to the intersecting themes of language, education, and empowerment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As is customary at Gandhian Ashrams, Ashram members are referred to as Behen (sister) or Bhai (brother). This leaves off reference to their caste identity which would be evident in their surname.

  2. 2.

    Classes 9 and 10 are called high school. Classes 11 and 12 are called intermediate college, commonly referred to as “inter-college” or “inter.” Schools are usually labeled according to the highest grades offered there; thus, the “Government Intermediate College” includes not only Classes 11 and 12, but also junior high and high school.

  3. 3.

    Had Uttar Pradesh been a country on its own, it would have been the eighth largest country in the world in terms of population. A related factor leading to the push for statehood in Uttarakhand was an increase in the reservations, or reserved seats in government jobs/institutions, for members of certain constitutionally identified “Backward Castes” (BC). Since there is a high proportion of non-BC’s in this region, the new law would have flooded the coveted positions with low-caste applicants from the plains.

  4. 4.

    According to the Census of India (2001): “A person aged 7 years and above who can both read and write with understanding in any language has been taken as literate. It is not necessary for a person to have received any formal education or passed any minimum educational standard for being treated as literate. People who were blind and could read in Braille are treated to be literates.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leiden University, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Cynthia Groff

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  1. Cynthia Groff
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Groff, C. (2018). Lakshmi Ashram and the Kumaun: Young Women and Gandhian Educators in Their Linguistic and Educational Context. In: The Ecology of Language in Multilingual India. Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51961-0_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51961-0_2

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51960-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51961-0

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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