The Language Your Aaja-Aaji (grandparents) Spoke

Do you miss the language that your Aaja- Aaji spoke ? Those words like Betwa, Bitiya, Silbatta, Biraha or Aagi hit different. Ain’t they ? But sadly, these words are dying and so is their language.

1. Why The Awadh Project ?

For 150 years, a silent conversation has been traveling across the oceans.

It began in the mid-19th century, when our ancestors—the Girmitiyas—left the villages of the Awadh and Bhojpuri heartlands. They carried no suitcases, only their language. That language didn’t just survive; it evolved. It became the backbone of identity for millions in Fiji, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, South Africa, and Mauritius.

I am building this website because that conversation is at risk of fading. As a digital creator rooted in this heritage, I realized that while we have many “classrooms” for language, we lack a global Archive. The Awadh Project is my mission to bridge the gap between the original dialects of India and the resilient, beautiful tongues of the diaspora, such as Fiji Baat and Sarnami.

We aren’t just looking back at history; we are reclaiming the soul of a global community.

2. Bringing the Indo Caribbean and Indo Fijian community closer.

I plan to bring the Indo Trinidadian, Indo Guyanese, Indo Surinamese, Indo Fijian and Indo Mauritian community closer with the help of the language that they all share.

Most of my articles will be focused on the Awadhi / Bhojpuri words which make up the Caribbean Hindustani and Fiji Hindi or Fiji Baat.

5. Why Follow?

You should follow if you have ever heard your grandparents speak a word you couldn’t find in a dictionary. You should follow if you miss the language spoken by your “Aaja-Aaji”, because I will be written content about the Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Hindi languages and it's shared heritage for Indo Caribbean, Indo Fijian and Indo Mauritian diaspora.