Udaipur (Udaipur Kiran). A strong resolve to preserve and promote India’s ancient tradition of genealogy writing emerged at a national seminar held in the Omkareshwar Mandhata region. The event brought together pothi vachaks, kaviraavs, charans, gadhvis and genealogy readers from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Malwa, Maharashtra and southern India, reflecting the diverse and deep cultural roots of the practice.
Rajasthan’s rao-jagaa communities have yajmans spread across the country, and generations of families have depended on genealogists to preserve their lineage records. Speakers highlighted that the genealogical tradition has safeguarded countless strands of clan history for centuries.
Organised under the guidance of Prof. Dharmendra Paare by the Tribal Folk Art & Dialect Development Academy, Madhya Pradesh Culture Council, the three-day seminar featured nearly fifty research scholars presenting their surveys and studies.
Presiding over a technical session, senior scholar Dr. Shrikrishna Jugnu said that India’s genealogies act as a thread of cultural unity. They guide society, uphold customs and rituals, and strengthen ethnic identity by connecting communities with their roots. He added that virudavali — through its words of honour and pride — links people to their rich heritage and inspires paths of generosity, respect and protection. He stressed the need to include genealogical knowledge in academic curricula and research to ensure its wider understanding.
Speakers noted that India has long upheld the tradition of recording lineages not only of sages and royal dynasties but of common people as well. The belief that all originate from Manu under Brahma’s creation underscores the idea of one universal family.
Researchers including Prof. Shailendra Kumar Sharma, Brijendra Kumar Singhal, Dr. Shobha Singh, Umesh Pathak, Vibha Thakur, Indra Narayan Thakur, Aakanksha, Prof. Monica Thakkar, Kajal, Dr. Anita Soni, Dr. Netra Rawankar, Gyanesh Chaubey, Chhogalal Sujas and Prof. Yogyata Bhargava presented their papers.
Being the first event of its kind in the Omkareshwar Mandhata region, it also featured vanshavali recitations by Dr. Sukhdev Singh Rao and team, while Kishordan Charan and others presented inspiring war-themed songs.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
