Students divided into 17 groups participate in translating story from English
Kohima, February 22 (MExN): Students of Capital College of Higher Education, Kohima (CCHE) on February 21 took part in a unique activity as a part of the observance of International Mother Language Day.
Students divided into 17 groups according to their tribal languages were tasked translate the story, “The Two Friends and a Bear” into their own mother languages.
Later a representative from each of the 17 groups representing the mother languages of Chokri, Khezha, Lotha, Sumi, Ao, Konyak, Yimkhiung, Nepali, Hindi, Sangtam, Kuki, Pochury, Rengma, Chang, Khiamniungan, Zeliang and Urdu, presented their translations.
The activity was held keeping in mind the growing need to promote and preserve one’s rich cultural heritage through language, a press release from the college stated.
Accordingly, the students were given the opportunity to work with their own mother language thereby gaining more insight about their own mother language, it said.
Earlier, Theja Lohe, an Assistant Professor in the CCHE’s Department of Tenyidie, deliberated on the need for young people to step up in the preservation of the gradually eroding cultural heritage.
While highlighting that most young people are unaware of their own mother language today, he emphasised on the need to explore various platforms through which the mother language can be used.
Later, the college principal Dr Zokho Venuh, Principal, CCHE commented that the tragedy facing the youth today is the loss of one’s identity.
“There are many today who do not even know basic vocabularies in their own mother language,” he said while stressing on the need to preserve and promote one’s own mother language to preserve our identity and origin.
He concluded by saying that the college should undertake more of such activities in the years to come where students will have hands-on experience with learning, the release added.
