'Language is identity of indigenous community'

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 21: Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung has stressed that all members of indigenous families should speak their mother tongue in order to preserve their language.

 Minister Gurung made these remarks while inaugurating the Gurung-language magazine Tamu Ke, launched by the Nepal Academy in the capital on Wednesday.

Minister Gurung said, “Language, art, and culture are the core identity of indigenous communities. If three generations live under one roof with grandparents speaking their mother tongue, son and daughter-in-law speaking Nepali, and grandchildren mostly speaking English, how the mother tongue will survive. At the very least, family members must uphold the tradition of speaking their mother tongue at home.”

He also suggested that the Gurung’s national organisation, Tamu Boudha Chhonj, should continue its efforts in cultural promotion alongside providing regular Gurung language training.

Bhupal Rai, Vice Chancellor of the Nepal Academy, said that since assuming leadership of the institution, he has advanced the slogan “All languages, all knowledge, everyone’s Nepal Academy” with the aim of offering a platform for speakers of all languages in the country. The publication of Tamu Ke reflects a commitment to conserving and promoting the Gurung language, literature, and history, he added. 

Similarly, Rajan Mukarung, Chief of the Academy’s Mother Tongue Department, informed that the Academy has already published eight magazines in different mother tongues, including one in Tamang, and has plans to provide similar opportunities to other languages.

He noted that some indigenous groups are very small and confined to specific areas, making it difficult to publish a full magazine in their languages. For this reason, the Academy is preparing to support joint publications featuring three or four languages together.

On the occasion, Tamu Ke editor Anita Gurung said that the magazine contains historical, cultural, and literary materials related to the Gurung community living in various parts of the country.