Vahi [ʋǝhi] is a genealogical record book and Vahivanca [ʋǝhiʋǝɲca] is the record-keeper. This talk investigates the Vahis written by the Barots – an ancient genealogical record-keeping community of Gujarat, that finds mention even in the Puranas or Vedic period. A Vahivanca meticulously collects and periodically updates the most minute information regarding the lineage of the patron and maintains individual records-books for each of his several patrons. While recording the uninterrupted evolutionary process of each patron’s family, the Vahi also simultaneously depicts the prevalent social arrangements such as caste system, traditions, economic exchanges, cultural setup, etc. of each time period within the vast time span that it encompasses.
Central to the formation of Vahis is ‘confidentiality’ – primarily to protect the privacy of each patron as well as to disallow other Vahivancas to decipher the records. This confidentiality is achieved by developing unique linguistic constructions of form and script. Hence, this talk proposes that while the Vahi has been considered to be a significant source of historical, political, and sociocultural information, it also renders itself as a crucial source of linguistic information. Similar to the studies so far on genealogical records in general, Vahis have also been studied for sociological and historical purposes; however, this talk aims to present their significance in linguistic studies by examining how the native language Gujarati is employed in varied unique forms to achieve specific functions. The talk focuses on the Vahis written by the Barot community as these Vahis are still highly guarded by the community, thereby, rarely finding a place in researches.