Kathmandu, May 28:

The Nepal Folklore Society (NFS) is all set to publish research books on two endangered ethnic groups — the Gandharva and the Gopali.

The NFS took three months to complete each research and the outcome is expected not only to preserve the culture and languages of the groups, but also bring to light their economic and social lives.

The folklore society also plans to publish the report in an audio-video form. Prof Tulsi Diwasa, president of the NFS, said: “Though the books are not purely academic, the publication would help disseminate knowledge about the backward communities and help promote cultural tourism in their localities.”

Diwasa said: “The research was conducted by a group of cultural experts including an anthropologist, a linguist, a sociologist and a folklorist in each group. They lived with

the community for three months.”

Prof Diwasa said that during their stay, the researchers collected 469 photographs, 29 hours 36 minutes of audio records, 30 hours of video records of Gandarvas and 6,882 photographs, 144 hours 52 minutes of audio records and 26 hours of video records of the Gopalis.

Each book will have some 50 photographs and also the photographs of 10 stone inscriptions and 23 hand written manuscripts. “All the collected materials include the folk life, interviews, culture and traditions about those ethnic people,” Diwasa said.

Prof Diwasa added that the society is also preparing to publish research books on Ath Pahariya Rai and Danuwar. They have already started study of Meche and Tharu communities.”

“We conducted the study on diversified cultural and social aspects of the non-identified ethnic groups because we felt the need for timely collection and preservation of ethnic culture and languages,” Diwasa said. He hoped that the research would help policy makers gather information about the ethnic groups and bring unidentified community into the mainstream.