The north-eastern region (NER) of India, apart from being a biodiversity hotspot, is blessed with unparalleled ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity. The land of seven sisters and a brother, the NER is the most diverse part of a most diverse nation as it is the home of a large number of plain and hill tribal communities having their own independent cultures, traditions, livelihood practices, language and dialect. As for the linguistic diversity, in Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh around 23, 20 and 15 languages respectively are in use and Meghalaya is home to Khasi, Garo and Pnar/Jaintia languages. The languages used across the NER belong to five different language families, namely, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, Austro-Asiatic and Tai-Kadai. However, these languages are not recognised by the respective governments as the official languages.
The Increasing pace of development in the NER is exerting massive pressure on the autonomous tribal communities in respect of their cultures, traditions, livelihood practices, languages & dialects and also on the biotic and abiotic components. As such some of these languages and dialects encompassing cherished civilizational discourses have already become ‘vulnerable’ to ‘moribund’. The contributing factors to the vanishing of languages in NER are better job prospects in the English language, conversion to Christianity and impact of churches in the choice of lingua franca, inappropriate language policies framed for administrative conveniences, etc.
A language and its dialects are specific to ethnicity and are the carrier of discourse, intangible heritage and evolution of the ethnic culture. Besides, each language and dialect embodies the unique cultural and historical genius and living wisdom of the community. India is said to have already lost many languages. UNESCO has declared 197 Indian languages as ‘endangered’. Dialects in particular are on the verge of extinction. With the senior members of the tribal communities leaving for the heavenly abode, the dialects/expressions of these cultures are far less used and will eventually become extinct. Sustained preservation, continuous development and longevity of the culture cannot be ensured without a robust language code. Intangible cultural heritage emanates from ethnicity, psychological and mythological beliefs and experiences. Thus, it becomes of utmost necessity to preserve, promote and enrich the linguistic and dialectic diversity of the NER.
Several studies around the world have amply demonstrated that mother tongue is vital for design thinking and comprehension and creating the mind-set necessary for holistic development. It ensures enhanced cognitive development and improves learning capabilities. Moreover, learning in a foreign language also brings a sense of alienation from one’s own culture and heritage leading to an inferiority complex whereas learning in mother tongue helps develop a better sense of one’s cultural traits. Thus, learning in the mother-tongue is of paramount significance in improving the quality of education. Any system that ignores mother tongue in the learning process in the early years can be unattractive and unengaging and thus becomes unproductive and creates a negative impact on children’s psyche. Since English is the preferred medium of instruction in India, learners have remained aloof from the benefits that come with education in the mother tongue. UNESCO has also recommended the use of mother tongue in the early years of schooling to enable children to learn to read and write alongside introducing them to the early mathematical and academic concepts. In order to capitalise on the advantage of learning in the mother tongue, NEP2020 emphasises on the mother tongue as the medium of instruction at least up to the 5th standard. This policy also envisages integrating teaching and learning of Indian languages with school and higher education at every level.
It is in this backdrop that the announcement made by the dynamic and proactive Hon’ble Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan in the recently concluded North East Education Conclave on NEP-2020 organised by Assam Government and Shamkardev Education and Research Foundation for making Guwahati as the Language Laboratory of India and for creating safe educational zones is significant. He also laid emphasis on capitalizing on the strength of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, biotic and abiotic diversities of NER for its emotional integration with the rest of the country.
Thus it is of paramount importance that the north-eastern states not adopt English as the state language merely for administrative conveniences but should embrace regional/local languages as the state languages because, without official status and patronage, many languages are being pushed to the endangered category. Major dialects should be given scripts so as to promote and upgrade them to the status of languages. The policy of the three-language formula should be revisited to promote regional languages. Dictionaries and learners’ books need to be written for every language and dialect spoken in the north-east. A group of people need to be trained in languages spoken in the region for the purpose of translation, as is being done for international languages. Customs and traditions including proverbs, stories, legends, folklore, rituals, songs, songlines, lullabies, mythology and samskar songs should be penned down in every language and dialect. Skilled teachers for every language should be created for the purpose of teaching and creating ICT enabled e-materials/e-books in those languages. High-quality programmes in translation and interpretation should be offered in all the languages of the NER. Every central university in the north-east should be sanctioned a Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Local Languages and Dialects (CPPLLD) for implementing these and other imperatives for preserving linguistic diversity and harmonious inter-relationships of the tribal communities with nature, ecology and cosmos. We are running out of fuel as with the passing away of senior citizens, and in the absence of a holistic language policy, languages and dialects are getting increasingly marginalised resulting in a fast decline in our traditional knowledge base about tribal cultures, traditions, livelihood practices, environmental ethics, nature centric development, etc which are necessary ingredients for securing the future of the region.
(The writer is Vice-Chancellor, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. Views are personal)
