Dr Ditsolo Kapfo
President, Association of Nagaland Literature Boards
While going through the Observations of International Mother Languages Day on February 21, 2022 by the different Institutions in Nagaland, the following important points are said by the renown Speakers in different meetings and it is worth noting those important teachings for preservation of our Mother Languages for our future generation benefits and follow ups. Here I have recorded few important things as stated by the important speakers as under:
1. Dr Pangersenla Walling, Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, Nagaland University said: Ao Language is in danger of going extinct in the next 25 years. Our youngsters like to learn Foreign Languages like English, Korean than learning our Mother Language is endangering to our Mother Language.
2. Padma Shri T Senka Ao said: “Language is power and when you lose your Language you are no better than a slave”.
3. Dr Lanurenla, Ao Seden Literature Board said: Foreign Language is playing a dominate role in our day- to – day functions.
4. K Temjen Jamir, Editor, Tir Yim Yim said: “Mother Language is not only a word, it has its flesh and blood. It has its own Socio- Cultural, Eco- political and religious values”. He continued saying; “ Losing one’s Mother Language is losing roots of its own origin. They forget their Village, Tribe, Clan and values of good traditions and cultures and made themselves foreigners in their own native land”.
5. Dr Zokho Venuh, Principal, Capital College Higher Education, Kohima, Nagaland said: Youngsters who are losing their Mother Language are losing their Identity and origin.
6. Er Prabhat Kishore, a Technocrat & Academician, Allahabad said: Mother Language plays vital role in the development of personnel, social and cultural identity. Young children learn and grasp more quickly when they are taught in their Mother Language. Mother Language is the blood of the Soul.
7. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President said: The drive to protect and preserve Mother tongue should become a people’s movement in the country. He said languages as carriers of our cultural heritage. Language is the vital unseen thread connecting the past with the present. Also he expressed happiness that NEP 2020 encourages the use of Mother tongue in Schools and Colleges and seeks to ‘Indianise’ our education system by making it holistic, value-based and inclusive.
After seen the talks of the highly educated speakers and the talks of our Vice President, I am worried of our backwardness in our Mother Language studies and spent sleepless nights thinking how to improve the backwardness of the 13 Literature groups including mine in Nagaland.
We know that Nagaland Government has approved 17 Mother Languages many years back and out of which 4 of them viz, 1. Angami, 2. Ao, 3. Lotha and 4. Sumi are allowed to go beyond Class VIII long years back and all the 4 of them are well beyond HSLC and among them Tenyidie (Angami) is in the University level which is our pride but leaving 13 Literature groups behind to extinct.
In the year 2008, while Mrs. Z. Bano Jamir was Commissioner Secretary Education, Govt. of Nagaland, a meeting was called by the Education department for all the 17 Literature Boards in Nagaland. The meeting was held in Ura Academy Hall, Kohima. In the meeting the Commissioner Secretary encouraged the Literature Boards and asked all the Literature Boards to advance and said that all the 17 Mother Languages will be allowed to reach Matriculation and she asked all the Literature Boards to what level each language was studying that year. I was there as Chairman Kuzhami Literature Committee and I said Kuzhale was in Class IV in the year 2008 and we continued upgrading one Class every year and reached Class VIII in the year 2012 in 2 Govt. High Schools and they were to go to Class IX in the year 2013 for our Kuzhale studies. And when we moved around and requested the Education Department for Mother Tongue studies of Class IX we were flatly refused. The High Officers in the line said there was no Government order for the same. We went up and down but to no avail. Therefore the Students of that batch faced unbearable problem that year. Not only Kuzhale Literature group faced the problem but the other Literature groups also whoever reached Class VIII of their Mother Tongue studies faced the same problem. That was a big discouragement, since the students cannot go for another language in Class IX. Because of this the children are afraid to study Mother Language unless Govt. permission for higher level is first given.
When we the Literature Boards moved Individually, we were not able to convince our big Bosses in the Department, we decided to form Association, so that Government may take up our case favorably early, and we 13 Backwards Literature Boards formed and named as Association of Nagaland Literature Boards in the year 2016 and we are moving around for our common cause but to no avail. Certain Literature groups have prepared the Text Books with the guidance of the Education Department and printed the Text Books for Class IX & X, but Certain high Officers in the Department rejected them telling that such were below standard.
We requested our Leaders and our Legislators for helps and they raised Assembly question in the year 2019 and the study of Class IX & X Mother Tongue for the 13 Literatures has been passed in the Legislative Assembly in the year 2019. But it seems the Cabinet Memo is not prepared even today from the Office and the permission for Class IX & X studies of Mother Tongues for 13 Language groups are not allowed till today. viz; 1. Chokri, 2. Kuzha, 3. Pochury, 4. Rengma, 5. Zeme, 6. Liangmai, 7. Konyak, 8. Sangtam, 9. Chang, 10. Phom, 11. Khiamniungan, 12. Yimchunger, and 13. Kuki.
We have written many applications to Minister Education, Chief Minister, Governor, Chief Secretary, Commissioner Secretary, Education and many high Officers, approached and requested the former Minister, and all High Officers in the Department in the last many years but their regular reply used to be problems after problems all the time and no helps till today.
Now as President of the Association, my conclusion is that there is no equal treatment in the State. The advanced groups are all the time giving the advantage depriving the Backward groups. May be we are unlucky to be born among the Backward Tribes. Sometimes I am thinking if I were born among the advanced Tribes, I would not face these types of troubles. Our Backwardness is not only, Financial, Socio- Political, Education etc but even in the study of our Mother Tongue which we are not been helped and allow us to advance telling Problem and Problems all the years till today.
It is sad to say that few of our Backward Literature Boards Chairmen left us before achieving our target and they are now no more with us. They were fighting with us keenly for the up gradation of our Mother Tongue Studies for our Children and Grand children since many years, but unfortunately before getting the good result certain of them died.
They are as under: 1. Late Zerusie Nyusou, Chairman. Literature Board Pochury, died in the year 2019, and 2. Dr NT Meren Sangtam, Former Chairman, Literature Board, Sangtam died in February 2022.
Now I, President of our Association am an old man, pray that I may live to see the Government permission of Mother Tongue Studies of Secondary level for the 13 Backward Literature Boards as shown above and also pray that no more Chairman nor any Office Bearers of 13 Backward Literature Board die before the release of the permission order for our 13 Backward Languages of our Mother Tongue Studies for higher level from Government of Nagaland.
I am thankful to the highly educated Officers, College Principal, Professors and Teachers for supporting our movement and special thanks to Vice president, M Venkaiah Naidu who said that “The drive to protect and preserve Mother Tongue should become a people’s movement in the country. This shows that we have our right even to protest if our demand is not met on time by our Government. With this I am requesting all the 13 Backward Language groups, all the Leaders and Politicians to rise up together and get our due share on time before the extinction of our Mother Language which God has given to us.
