A Dardic language of the Indo-Aryan family, Torwali is spoken in the Bahrain and Chail areas of District Swat in Northern Pakistan. According to some estimates the Torwali people count themselves between 120,000 and 130,000. ‘Possibly half of them live in the heartland, which is located in northern Pakistan, in the Swat River Valley in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Rigorous work on the revitalization of Torwali language has been carried out since 2004. Bahrain is the cultural and administrative center for this language, and its population probably accounts for about 70% of the Torwali speakers living in the Swat valley. Torwali speakers are very proud of their language and culture. Although many of the men and a growing number of women also speak Urdu and Pashto (a major language of the KP Province), they use Torwali when conversing with each other. However, primarily due to an increased exposure to other languages, Torwali speakers are incorporating Urdu, Pashto and English words and expressions into their everyday speech. In addition to this, since the conversion of the Torwali people to Islam about four centuries ago, numerous Arabic words have also been introduced. A number of people from the community have become involved in different ways to preserve and promote the Torwali language and culture. Much has been accomplished over the past decade.

 

Traditionally most Torwalis were subsistence farmers. Nowadays, they grow mostly corn, wheat, tomatoes, apples and pears, which they sell to local markets as well as to the larger cities to the south.

Covid-19 Awareness Message in Torwali
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