PREPAK greets people on Mother Language Day
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 20 2015 :
The proscribed People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has extended its warm greetings to the people of Manipur on the occasion of International Mother Language Day.
According to a press statement of PREPAK issued by its Assistant Secretary of Publicity & Propaganda Leibak Ngakpa Luwang, the rapidly increasing globalization and other developmental challenges have led to the extinction of many minor languages in the world.
A UNESCO report said that there are around 6800 major languages in the world, but half of those languages are now on the verge of extinction.
Many minor languages of Manipur have also become extinct in the past few years, it said.
'February 21' was declared as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999 by UNESCO.
Since February 21, 2000, the Day has been observed every year all throughout the world.
The observance of International Mother Language Day is related with Bengali Nationalism of the erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
On February 21, 1952, the people of East Pakistan came out in the streets and protested violently against the declaration of Urdu as their official language.
The protest claimed the lives of four people, but years later on February 29, 1956, Bengali was made the official language of East Pakistan, PREPAK recalled.
The outfit further alleged that the merger of Manipur with the Indian Union on October 15, 1949 had further deteriorated the culture and language of the Manipuri people.
In the early part of 18th Century AD, Hindu missionary Shantidas had uprooted the indigenous religion, culture and language of Manipur through the Vaishnava culture.
The time has come for the Manipuri people to follow the footsteps of Noariya Phullo and Hijam Irabot to revive the dying Manipuri culture and language, it exhorted.