Itanagar, Apr 17: Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region under secretary Parna Sahana visited the RIWATCH Centre for Mother Languages (RCML) at Khinjili near Roing in Lower Dibang Valley district.
Sahana inspected the ongoing project titled, ‘Promotion of Literary Development of Mother Languages of Arunachal Pradesh’ supported by the North Eastern Council (NEC) through the Department of Indigenous Affairs, a press statement from RCML said on Thursday.
She praised the RCML for its impactful work in documenting and promoting the linguistic heritage of the state besides appreciating RCML’s activities including publications in different languages and language promotional programmes undertaken among the native speakers, school students and teachers.
The official encouraged the centre to conduct more research documentation and awareness programs and also emphasized the importance of developing more children’s literature in mother languages.
She also released three pictorial glossary books in Singpho language, published by RCML. These publications are the result of a collaborative effort between RCML’s research team and members of the Singpho community.
Speaking on the occasion, Department of Indigenous Affairs director Sokhep Kri urged the Centre to expand its initiative to all tribal communities across the state. He assured continued support from the department in these endeavours.
RIWATCH executive director Vijay Swami emphasized the need of language preservation in maintaining cultural identity. He reiterated RIWATCH’s commitment in documenting and thereby safeguarding the diverse linguistic landscape of Arunachal Pradesh through audio-visual documentation.
RCML centre head Dr Mechek Sampar Awan presented a detailed report of the Centre’s activities since its’ inception and the future plans to strengthen language documentation and resource development.
RCML research officer Dr Vilhousienuo Neli highlighted the critical need of documenting folksongs that carry oral traditions, history and identity which are at high risk of being lost while documentation officer Dr Kombong Darang underscored the role of technology in preserving endangered languages and cultural practices.
The visit of the official reflects the ministry’s commitment for the preservation of mother languages and culture. The initiative aims to support communities in safeguarding their linguistic and cultural legacies that have been under threat of extinction in recent times.
