Moment of linguistic pride: Wedding invite in Koya
The invitation celebrates the upcoming marriage of Kanna Raju from Palvanch village and Pune Lakshmi Sharanya from Jagadish Colony in Bhadrachalam, scheduled for August 3.
Unlike past tribal ceremonies where Telugu served as the medium for written communication, this card is in Koya, a language spoken by nearly 16 lakh people across nine districts in the state.
The invitation contains traditional Koya terms for each element of the wedding, from pandir muhurtham (auspicious wedding eve) and pelli muhurtham (main wedding ceremony) to ma sonta nar (our own people), kabur (feast) and karanganur iyal (ceremony venue).
Carefully composed and printed using the Telugu script, which has been adopted for writing Koya, the invitation carries the full imprint of local customs, making it not only functional but also symbolic.
At the top, a line reads, 'Wedding invitation in Koya language'. This quiet affirmation signals the beginning of a new chapter for a language long confined to oral tradition.
The card was formally released on Monday by Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) project officer B Rahul at the ITDA office in Bhadrachalam. The date coincides with Koya Language Day.
'This is a welcome moment,' said Rahul. 'The availability of a script for the tribal mother tongue deserves praise.' He hailed the effort that had gone into transforming the spoken Koya language into a written one, in the initiative led by ITDA Bhadrachalam. Until recently, the lack of a standard script had kept Koya largely oral, with Telugu filling the gap for written needs.
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