Kokborok Dictionary

Zabarang, with the support of the PAWANKA Fund of RSF Social Finance (RSF), has been implementing a project titled ‘Sonjiban’ (Revitalization of Endangered Languages and Preparedness of Targeted Languages for the Government Education Program in Bangladesh). The project aims to facilitate the development of endangered indigenous languages in Bangladesh, protecting them from disappearance and decline. Additionally, it supports the preparedness of six indigenous languages for the next phase of the government’s education program.
A video documentary has been produced as a tool to raise awareness among indigenous peoples and policymakers about the decline of indigenous languages. The project also has published pictorial books in Khasi, Manipuri, Manipuri Bishnupriya, Tangchangya, Bawm, and Mro to support these languages' readiness for academic use in upcoming government initiatives. Dictionaries in Marma and Kokborok (Tripura) have been published through Android apps as part of this effort. The project aims to encourage scholars and writers from three endangered languages to document and publish their languages, ensuring their preservation.
Kokborok, also known as Tripura KOK, is spoken by approximately 300,000 Tripura people in Bangladesh, making it the third most spoken indigenous language in the country. Despite the language's rich literary heritage, no dictionary for Kokborok exists in Bangladesh. To address this gap, this project has developed and published a Kokborok dictionary available through Android apps. We hope this dictionary will serve the needs of both linguists and the Kokborok-speaking community.

Mathura Bikash Tripura
Executive Director, Zabarang