Washington, Jan 29 An Indian linguist, who is a native of Bihar, has been awarded a $25,000 grant by South Asian Language Resource Centre (SALRC) to develop a South Asian languages curriculum in the US.

A gold medallist from Aligarh Muslim University and a West Bengal Urdu Academy award holder, M.J. Warsi teaches linguistics in the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis.

SALRC, which primarily focuses on the needs concerning South Asian language pedagogy in American universities, is funded by a grant from US Education Department's International Education and Graduate Programmes.

An Indo-Aryan language and linguistics professor in the South Asian Studies at the department for last several years, Warsi has also authored many books helping understand the efficacy of the common contact in languages and culture.

Hailing from Darbhanga district of Bihar, Warsi was recently named an "unsung hero" and a role model to his peers, colleagues and students by the students of University of California, Berkeley for his "extraordinary contribution" in academic and personal matters.

Warsi has also been selected for the prestigious 'Glory of India' award for 2007 by the India International Friendship Society (IIFS).