Talim Khan Kal’as’a awaz bes’ala
During a discussion with first Kalasha Teacher Engineer Ustas, I came to know that Talim Khan an uneducated young Kalasha man but who learnt to use the Kalasha alphabet one year ago is on the job with Lakshan Bibi (not familiar with the Kalasha alphabet) in creating Kalasha schoolbooks. Lakshan Bibi (Kalasha Welfare Figure) has secured funds for printing Kalasha schoolbooks has included MR, BR, and KR, ect as new sounds. We are very proud of Talim Khan as first non-literate to use Kalasha Alphabet to read and write the Kalasha language, but at the same time it raises concern over transcribing and addition of new sounds with out prior consultation with linguists and Kalasha Literates who have worked in designing the Kalasha alphabet and compiled Kalasha Dictionary (available online).
The new sounds were shown to Engineer Ustas in February 2006 in Islamabad. Engineer had rejected the addition arguing that those are not separate sounds and after his briefing to the other teachers, they have agreed on the same opinion. Engineer came to know about the additional sounds being used in the books to be published after he returned to Kalasha valleys.
Lakshan Bibi has never consulted Kalasha Culture Saving Society, Linguists and Kalasha literacy society about the allotted funding for Kalasha literacy project. The sudden changes in the Kalasha alphabet book (already printed 2003) without linguistically consultation, involving and discussion with the Kalasha literacy society which includes Kalasha children, women, Kalasha elders, teachers, linguists and rest of the Kalasha students who have been workng on Kalasha literacy over last 20 years,producing the alphabet and created a Kalasha dictionary
. As a President of K.C.S.S I fear that the funds provided to Kalasha community by Govt are not being utilize correctly. This act is very unprofessional and as well as untraditional act of documenting Kalasha culture.I thank all those linguists who have contributed so much time to Kalasha literacy, although I know none of them personally.
Wazir Zada
wzada@yahoo.com
