IMPHAL, Sept 6: The Council of Tribal Languages and Literature Societies, Manipur (CTLLSM) has expressed great happiness and “feels truly heartening to know that the Government of India has allocated a fund of Rs.18 crore as the first instalment for conservation and promotion of Meiteilon (Manipuri).”
The CTLLSM expressed hope that it will be a boon to boost the efforts to elevate the Meiteilon (Manipuri) to the status of a classical language sooner.
The Council of Tribal Languages and Literature Societies, Manipur (CTLLSM) represents 35 tribal languages out of the total 37 languages in Manipur. It stands for the unity and integrity of Manipur and remains in solidarity with the State Government, it informed.
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“Meiteilon, commonly known as Manipuri, is the official language, the lingua franca and most widely spoken language of Manipur and one of the 22 Scheduled Languages of India and we all are proud of the language,” CTLLSM chairman Ragongning Gangmei said in a statement today.
“Meiteilon (Manipuri) is the closest neighbouring language towering above the tribal languages of Manipur with many similarities in the meanings of words, structures of sentences and grammatical systems unlike that of the English language. And we are optimistic and hopeful that the Meiteilon (Manipuri) shall be a guiding principle language for the upliftment of all the tribal languages of the state,” the CTLLSM added.
Lauding the efforts of the government, it then said, “Our heartfelt thanks go to the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri N. Biren Singh and also our special thanks to Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, MP, who is relentlessly making efforts for the promotion of the Meiteilon (Manipuri). Manipur Chief Minister Shri N.Biren Singh and Maharaja Sanajaoba Leishemba, MP, truly deserve appreciation from all.”
This will help the linguistic communities to search and check each other’s languages, especially words, at a fingertip and boost the closeness of the inter-community relationship of the people of Manipur, the CTLLSM also said.
The CTLLSM further said Manipur is a beautiful multilingual state. Besides Meiteilon (Manipuri), there are 35 tribal languages. Since the inception of the state, the State Government had a “beautiful mind” for the promotion of tribal languages of the state since the Union Territory period.
With this objective in mind, the State Government had approved 18 tribal languages, one by one, out of the 35 tribes over the decades for introduction in the school education system as mother tongues, the council further said.
All the approved 18 tribal languages have been introduced in the education system and many of them have been now taught up to class XII and some up to undergraduate level. “For all these, we are extending our heartfelt gratitude to the State Government of Manipur. These languages are the fabrics of State integrity. They are the riches of the state and the beauty of the state’s integrity and we have to promote them in the ages to come,” it added.
Moreover, the council assured that the grievances faced by the tribal languages had been brought to the notice of the State Government several times in the past many years by the Council of Tribal Languages. (NNN)
