Buddhist Federation calls for starting Bhot language news service in government media

Kathmandu, June 11: The Nepal Buddhist Federation has urged the government to make provision for the production, publication, and broadcasting of news, information, and programmes in the Bhot language through the government media.     

The Federation handed over a memorandum to Communications and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung today, urging him to take initiative for the production, publication, and broadcasting of news, information, and programmes in the Bhot language through national media houses such as Gorkhapatra, Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.     

Federation President Nurbu Thundu Sherpa (Geshe Thubten Jinpa), stated that it is the responsibility of the government to protect and promote the Bhot language, which is primarily used by the residents of the mountainous and hilly regions of the country. He expressed confidence that the Bhot language would receive priority during the tenure of the Minister of Communication, Gurung, who advocates for the promotion of mother tongues.     

In the memorandum submitted by the federation today, it is mentioned that since Nepal is a multilingual, multicultural, and multi-religious nation, it is the constitutional duty of the state to protect and promote the language, culture, and identity of diverse communities.     

The memorandum also stated that the Bhot language is not only a means of communication but is also extremely important from educational, religious, cultural, and historical perspectives, and that documents with historical evidence proving that the original texts of Buddhism were translated into the Bhot language around the seventh century have been discovered.     

In the context of the Gonpa education system operated in Nepal, since the year 2065 BS, the Curriculum Development Centre has been preparing the curriculum and textbooks in the Bhot language for secondary level education, and teaching and learning is being conducted in Gonpa and community schools. (RSS)