Bhagnari Dictionary

Bhagnari Dictionary has been developed for the younger generation of Bhagnari community
This is a unique dictionary where the searched words have also been showed in sentences
The closest match of the searched word is positioned at the top of the page
Clicking on any word opens a new window showing its usage in sentences. The contents of this window can be shared
Note that Bhagnari dialect does not have its own script.

For quite some time now there has been a demand for publishing a Bhagnari Dictionary. This app has been developed to attract the younger generation of the community, who would like to use it at their own convenience. A mobile app provides this opportunity, as most youngsters use smartphones on which this app can be downloaded easily. Initially it has been developed for Android, but it soon be developed for the other operating systems. The app is also expected to give a fillip to the use of the language among its youngsters, who otherwise communicate either in English or Hindi. With the launch of this dictionary, it is expected that the youngsters, with the encouragement of the elders will start speaking in Bhagnari language at home and also with their friends and relatives.

Main features of this dictionary have been described in the short write up. It would be useful to give a background to Bhagnari language and the community. The language is widely spoken in Pakistan, where it is known as Siraiki. It is commonly spoken in Sind and Balochistan. Unfortunately though the language has a well established dialect, it does not have its own script. Generally Arabic script is used to represent the dialect. The language, when spoken bears closer resemblance to Punjabi than Sindhi, though Bhagnaris have associated themselves with Sindhis. Most Bhagnaris in Karachi studied in Sindhi medium schools.

Bhagnaris were residents of a village called Bhag in Balochistan, which had a Nahar running through it. This is how the name Bhagnari was derived (the common misconception is that there were 2 villages called Bhag and Nari). The village of Bhag currently is a big town and it still has a 40% Hindu population. Members of the community migrated from Bhag to Karachi approx. 100 years before the partition of India. The migration was necessitated due to economic situation of the area. The other reason of the migration was economic persecution of Hindus in this area. While most Bhagnaris migrated to Karachi, some migrated to Jacobabad too.

Following the partition, most Bhagnaris migrated to Mumbai and a few went across to other cities of India. Currently a major part of the community stays in Dubai, UAE. A community of approx. 3000, though mainly concentrated in Mahim, is in fact spread across the world now. It is closely connected through various social media sites.