PREPAK greets on International Mother Language Day
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, February 20 2013: While greeting the people on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the proscribed outfit, People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has observed that mother language plays an important role in bringing about development in a community or society.

In a statement signed by its Assistant Secretary, Publicity and Propaganda, Leibakngakpa Luwang, PREPAK stated that mother language is the true wealth of a community and it plays an important role in development of the community.

Whenever, a language become extinct, the culture and tradition of that community also becomes extinct gradually.

And such community will never be able to gain its characteristics and values.

The International Mother Language Day was announced by the General Conference of UNESCO in November 1999 following a movement that occurred in Bangladesh and its observance started since 2000.Bengali students in Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan, stood against the government's announcement of making Urdu as the national and official language on March 21, 1948.Following the announcement, thousands of Bengali students came out in protest.

As the movement gathered momentum, a large number of students organised a public march on February 21, 1952 in which, four students were killed in police firing while hundreds were injured.

After the incident, Pakistan government made Bengali as the official language of Bangladesh on February 29, 1956.Afterwards, Bangladesh got freedom from Pakistan in 1971 .

Inspired by the movement, an organisation called Mother Language Lovers of the World was formed by people from different countries and pressed the United Nations to observe International Mother Language Day.

After much discussion, UNESCO decided to observe February 21 as the International Mother Language Day as a mark of paying honour to the movement in Bangladesh and its outcome.

In Manipur too, the advent of Hinduism and the forced annexation of the kingdom into the Indian Union has resulted in a mixed identity of its mother language.

In such a situation, there is an urgent need for the people of Manipur to dedicate themselves towards saving the dying language.

Even though they have their own languages, people of different communities residing in Manipur regarded Kangleilol (Meeteilol) as the common communication language among themselves, PREPAK said.

It went on to point out that people in Manipur should keep in mind that it is not only the culture, tradition and history of the Meeteis which will become extinct with the extinction of Kangleilol (Meeteilol) but also the relations between the different communities of Manipur and their cross cultural relations.

After the puyas, which recorded the relations among the different communities, were burnt and fake puyas with mixed languages were authored, the relations of Meeteis with other communities have become strained.

With the conversion into Hinduism and their classification of status in the society has created further gap between the Meeteis and the other communities.

Meeteis regarded the hill people as untouchable under the classifications of Hinduism.

Angered by the nature of the Meeteis, hill people adopted Christianity and the gap between them has widen gradually, thereby constructing a wall of hatred, disbelief and disunity.

After conversion into Hinduism, even the Meeteis were forced not to use Kangleilol.

When Manipur became part of Indian Union, the India government began to instill the sense of hatred, disunity and disbelief among the different communities of the state in their quest to liquidate the indigenous people and rule over them.

So, the time has come for the people of Manipur to struggle collectively for the popularization of mother languages of different communities residing in Manipur as well as revive and conserve Kangleilol as the primary communication language among the different communities in order to bring the lost unity and nationalism.

Besides the common peoples, there is also responsibility on the part of the leaders and scholars of the different communities to work towards bringing about peace and unity among the people, PREPAK added.

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