PREPAK bats for mother language
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 20 2015 : In connection with the International Mother Language day, which falls tomorrow, the proscribed People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has greeted all the people who have dedicated their lives for preservation and promotion of their mother languages.

The outfit also called upon all the people of Manipur (both hill people and plain people), particularly scholars to work relentlessly in order to preserve and promote the mother language.

Alleging that prolonged existence as a State of India has been gradually diluting culture and history of the erstwhile independent Manipur, posing serious threats to Manipur's mother language, a statement issued by the outfit's assistant secretary, Publicity and Propaganda, Leibak Ngakpa Luwang regretted that sustained campaign by the Government of India is eventually bearing fruit as differences continue to crop up between the hill and valley dwellers.

While history itself is evidence that for centuries Manipuri (Meiteilon) language had been the lingua franca for the people of Manipur, the language suffered major set back in the 18th century when the Meiteis were forcibly proselytised into Hinduism followed by the burning of the Puya (ancient chronicle).

Manipuri language and culture could have died a long time back had it not been the revivalist movements of Hijam Irabot and Naoriya Phullo.

The controversial merger of Manipur into the Indian Union also led to extension of India's cultural imperialism into Kangleipak (Manipur).

The inclusion of Manipuri language in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution on August 20, 1992 was a tragedy for it marked adoption of Manipuri language as a National language of India.

This shameful blunder not only led to the downfall of Manipuri language but also posed serious challenges to the identity of Manipuri people.

This was realized during the quest for classical language status for Manipuri.

Before Manipur's merger with the Indian Union, it was the lingua franca in the major markets of South East Asia including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tekhao and Takhel.

The US Department of Education has already enlisted Manipuri language in the list of 169 'Political and Strategic Languages'.

Researchers in Japan, US and European countries termed Manipuri language as 'Critical Language in Regional and International Level' .

With regard to the global observance, he highlighted that consequent to the people's movement in Bangladesh in the middle-part of the 20th century, the 30th general conference of UNESCO held in November 1999 adopted a resolution that February 21 be observed as the International Mother Language Day.

While the UNESCO resolution was aimed at preserving as well as enable the global fraternity develop their respective languages, the Bangladesh movement has become an indelible event that spurred cultural Nationalism, he maintained and conveyed that intense agitation by the people of the erstwhile East Pakistan compelled Pakistan to rescind from its legislation that Urdu, and not Bangla, should be the National language of Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) .

In restoring Bangali as the official language of Bangladesh in February 29, 1956 it sustained the Bangali Nationalism movement as well as boosted morale of the indigenous people to revive cultural Nationalism and preserve common heritage in different parts of the world.

Despite all hurdles there is need for unified movement by the people of Manipur, particularly the scholars, for sustaining the effort to preserve and promote the mother language, Leibak Ngakpa conveyed.

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