Garhwali (गढ़वळि, IPA: [gɜɽʱʋɜɭiˑ], in native pronunciation) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Central Pahari subgroup.

According to various estimates, there are at least 3.5 million Garhwali migrants living in Delhi and the National Capital Region.

Recordings include the Parable of the Prodigal Son and of a well-known folk-tale: the fable of the Bundle of Sticks in Garhwali.

मिmiदॆखुdykhuमि दॆखुmi dykhuI lookहमलhamlद्याख/dyākh/हमुनhamunद्याखdyakhहमल द्याख/ हमुन द्याखhaml dyākh/ hamun dyakhwe lookतिtiदॆखुdykhuति दॆखुti dykhuyou lookतिलtilद्याख/dyākh/तुमुनtumunद्याखdyākhतिल द्याख/ तुमुन द्याखtil dyākh/ tumun dyākhyou lookसुsuदॆखुdykhuसु दॆखुsu dykhuHe looksउनunद्याखdyākhउन द्याखun dyākhthey lookसॊswदॆखुdykhuसॊ दॆखुsw dykhuShe looksइiदॆखुdykhuइ दॆखुi dykhuIt looks (nu.

)ऎëदॆखिdëkhiऎ दॆखिë dëkhiThis lookedऒöदॆखिdëkhiऒ दॆखिö dëkhiThat lookedमीmīलटोएंछुlaṭoenchuमी लटोएंछुmī laṭoenchuI will lookआमीāmīलटोएंछौंlaṭoenchãũआमी लटोएंछौंāmī laṭoenchãũwe will lookतुtuलटोएंछैlaṭoenchaiतु लटोएंछैtu laṭoenchaiyou will lookतीमीtīmīलटोएंछौंlaṭoenchãũतीमी लटोएंछौंtīmī laṭoenchãũyou will lookसुsuलटोएंछन्laṭoenchanसु लटोएंछन्su laṭoenchanhe will lookतौtauलटोएंछन्laṭoenchanतौ लटोएंछन्tau laṭoenchanthey will lookThere are many differences from Hindi and other Indic languages, for example in the palatal approximant /j/, or the presence of a retroflex lateral /ɭ/.

The newer studies (by Gadwall's Kukareithi) reveals a slightly different but easier classification of Gaddish vowels.

During the British Raj and in the period after Independence of India, the Garhwal region was included in the Hindi-speaking state of Uttar Pradesh for decades.

These factors are also said to contribute to increased importance of Hindi and reduced prestige for Garhwali language in the minds of the local population.

Further, migration to other parts of India and the ever-increasing pressure of globalization has led to diminishing importance of Garhwali for the local population.

Over the last century, as most of the economic opportunities tended to concentrate in plain areas, temporary out-migration followed by eventual return-migration was witnessed.

Since 2000, the situation has changed substantially with many out-migrating permanently along with families from Garhwal mainly to eke out their livelihoods and better future of their children.

But their naturalisation was in Hindi (lingua franca of the north Indian urban, including Dehradun) and then English at school.

[2] In 2017, the state government announced a proposal to adopt English as the medium of instruction for early-age learners (from Class 1) in 18000 government schools, thus ignoring the key role played by the mother tongue or home language in early learning and subject-based learning.

Due to this lopsided development, the pace of out-migration could not slow down from the hill districts of the Uttarakhand after its formation.

[17][18] In 2016, State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) announced that Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari and Rang languages would be introduced on pilot basis for students in standard one to 10th in government schools Under the 'Know Your Uttarakhand' project.

[2] There have been small movements to preserve and develop Garhwali language and culture but primarily, these have been restricted to individuals and communities.

[27] Winsar Publishing Company is an organisation that has dedicated a large part of its publications to Garhwali language and literature.

[30] Modern day Garhwali has rich literature in all genres including poetry, novels, short stories and plays.

Though according to Saklani, a regular literary activity throughout the known history of Garhwal has been reported with most of such efforts related to the orthodox themes of religious matters, poetics, astronomy, astrology, and ayurveda, etc.

It was only in the 20th century, due to the influence of English language, modern literary forms and themes were adopted.

[32] The oldest manuscript in Garhwali that has been found is a poem named "Ranch Judya Judige Ghimsaan Ji" written by Pt.

[8] Several specimens of Garhwali were also found in Pandit Ganga Datt Upreti's 'Hill Dialects of the Kumaon Division'.

[8] The first and comprehensive research work about the Garhwali language, its various dialects, where is it spoken, number of speakers, grammar, vocabulary, phrases and specimens was done in Part IV - Volume IX of the Linguistics Survey of India.

[32] Some of the famous writers of Garhwal of that era were Sudarsan Shah, Kumudanand Bahuguna, Hari Dutt Sharma (Nautiyal), Hari Krishna Daurgadutti Rudola, Urvi Dutt Shastri, Bal Krishna Bhatt, Mahidhar Dangwal, etc.

In 2010, the Sahitya Akademi conferred Bhasha Samman on two Garhwali writers: Sudama Prasad 'Premi' and Premlal Bhatt.

[37] Many Garhwali Kavi Sammelan (poetry readings) are organized in different parts of Uttarakhand and, in Delhi and Mumbai.

[38] Garhwali folk singers like Narendra Singh Negi, Preetam Bhartwan, Chander Singh Rahi, Anil Bisht, Kishan Mahipal, Manglesh Dangwal, Santosh Khetwal, Gajendra Rana, Kalpana Chauhan, Anuradha Nirala, Pritam Bhartwan, Rohit Chauhan, Meena Rana, Jeet Singh Negi, Jagdesh Bakrola and many more have renewed interest in the Garhwali language by their popular songs and videos.

It was launched to give exposure to Uttarakhand folk music and to bring the melody from the heart of Himalaya to the global screen.

This was named after a very famous melody of the hills of Himalaya, Bedu Pako Baro Masa[39] In the year 2017 Rachit Pokhriyal launched Pineflix to fill in the garhwali language content gap for the people of Uttarakhand, with its first Garhwali Short film releasing on 19 August 2018.

Since then they have created films on various topics highlighting hardships of local people of uttarakhand and other social issues for awareness.