Imphal: A one-day Tangkhul Literature Festival was held on Saturday in Imphal to promote and preserve the Tangkhul language among the community and beyond.
Organised by the Tangkhul Katamnao Long. Imphal (TKLI), a student body, the festival’s objective was to encourage students and youths to learn their mother tongue Tangkhul language more fluently in speaking as well as writing.
Over 500 Tangkhuls residing in Imphal, including students, attended the event held at St Paul’s Retreat Center (DSSS), Lamlongei, Mantripukhri in Imphal East.
As per the festival’s concept note, Rev William Pettigrew, a missionary who brought Christianity to the land of the Tangkhul Naga area, published the Tangkhul Primer and Catechism in 1897, the first such book written in the Tangkhul language.
This was the emergence of written literature in the Tangkhul language.
Speaking on the occasion as a chief guest, MLA Leishiyo Keishing lauded the student body to organise such an important festival keeping in mind the uniqueness of the Tangkhul language and safeguarding the vulnerable language.
“It is a language that unites people. And if we want to conquer the people or let them work for us, then either you have to learn their language or make them learn yours. That is the medium of command,” said MLA Keishing.
Stressing the linguistic diversity of the Tangkhul Naga community where every village has its own dialect, MLA Keishing said that in such a situation, choosing a particular dialect as the common language to communicate for the entire community is not an easy task.
But William Pettigrew formed a common language as the mode for reading and writing for the Tangkhuls, and it is the language that brings us all together, he said.
Dr AC Kharingpam, an assistant professor currently teaching at Jamia Millia Islamia Central University in Delhi, in his keynote address, stated that a nation’s unique identity and system is known by its story.
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“The first step to a person’s life is language. As the language develops, the mind starts to grow or develop. With the growth of language, every aspect of life starts to grow and develop. As the generations grow and the way people think grows deeper (as people get more philosophical), the language becomes the story. The story becomes their own identity,” said Dr Kharingpam while elaborating on the meaning of literature.
He further stated that life is a story and the representation of the whole perspective of generations, collective memories, and the common ways of thinking which leads to the composure of song, poem, and other synonyms and significance known as Wordham (literature).
The event also witnessed a singing competition with participation from six groups. Also, around 35 different books written in the Tangkhul language were also displayed for sale.
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