Yet, a piercing question arises: while the language has found its place in the Constitution, have we, in our daily lives, truly embraced and honoured the Nepali language when we admit that we cannot read, write, count, or even speak properly in our mother tongue? In reality, this is not a matter of pride but a grave disgrace.

Despite the official recognition of the Nepali language in India, it is still treated as a foreign tongue in many regions. Why is this so? Have we ourselves shown the necessary respect and pride towards our language? Have we prioritized Nepali in our homes, schools, and workplaces?

If we fail to protect our language and culture, we must brace ourselves for the inevitable consequences. If we do not love and respect our language and literature, our identity and culture will suffer. Future generations may lose their connection to our language and the essence of our cultural heritage. The knowledge, traditions, and values transmitted through our language could vanish. This erosion could weaken our community’s unity and make it difficult to sustain our cultural programs and traditions.

Nepali Language Recognition Day commemorates the movement, its struggles, and its champions. However, limiting our recognition and honour of the language to just this day may fall short of true reverence and respect. This day serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of our language and the need for its preservation. Now is the time for all of us to truly embrace Nepali in our daily lives, to love it, and to respect it.

Let us cherish our language, honour it, and ensure its future. The Nepali language is not merely a means of communication; it is the mirror of our soul and identity.

A community whose language and literature are not strong will never progress.

On this Nepali Language Recognition Day, let us reflect and renew our commitment to our language.

Jai to Nepali language!!
Jai Gorkha!!

भाषाले त मान्यता पायो तर के हामीले भाषालाई मान्यता दिन्छौं?

नेपाली भाषा आन्दोलनको फलस्वरूप, सन् १९९२ को २० अगस्टमा भारतीय संविधानको आठौं अनुसूचीमा नेपाली भाषालाई स्थान दिइयो। यो ऐतिहासिक दिनको सम्झनामा प्रत्येक वर्ष २० अगस्टमा नेपाली भाषा मान्यता दिवस मनाइन्छ। यो दिनले हामीलाई हाम्रो भाषाको महत्त्व र पहिचानको सम्झना गराउँछ।

तर प्रश्न उठ्छ: भाषाले संविधानमा मान्यता पायो, तर के हामीले नेपाली भाषालाई हाम्रो दैनिक जीवनमा, हाम्रो समाजमा, र हाम्रो हृदयमा मान्यता दिएका छौं? के हामी हाम्रो आफ्नै भाषालाई भन्दा अरु भाषाहरूलाई बढी प्राथमिकता दिइरहेका छौं? के हामीलाई नेपाली भाषामा लेख्न, पढ्न, गन्न र कहिलेकाहीँ राम्रोसँग बोल्न नजान्नुलाई गर्वको विषय हो कि हाँसोको कुरा? यथार्थमा, यो कुनै गर्वको विषय होइन, बरु यो हाम्रो लागि ठूलो अपमानको कुरा हो।

नेपाली भाषालाई भारतमा आधिकारिक मान्यता प्राप्त भए तापनि, अझै पनि धेरै ठाउँमा यसलाई विदेशी भाषा जस्तो व्यवहार गरिन्छ। किन यस्तो भएको होला? के हामी आफैले हाम्रो भाषा प्रति सम्मान र गर्व प्रकट गरेका छौं? के हामीले नेपाली भाषालाई हाम्रो घर, विद्यालय, र कार्यस्थलमा प्राथमिकता दिएका छौं?

हाम्रो भाषा र संस्कृतिको संरक्षण नगरेमा, हामीले के-कस्ता कठिनाइहरूको सामना गर्नुपर्छ भन्ने कुरा पनि महत्त्वपूर्ण छ। यदि हामी हाम्रो भाषा र साहित्यलाई माया र सम्मान गर्दैनौं भने, हाम्रो पहिचान र संस्कृतिलाई धक्का लाग्न सक्छ। नयाँ पुस्ताले हाम्रो भाषा नबुझ्ने र हाम्रो सांस्कृतिक सम्पदाको मर्म नबुझ्ने हुन सक्छ। भाषाको माध्यमबाट हस्तान्तरण हुने ज्ञान, परम्परा, र मूल्यमान्यताहरू हराउन सक्छन्। यसले हाम्रो सामुदायिक एकतालाई कमजोर पार्न सक्छ र हाम्रा सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रमहरू र परम्पराहरूलाई निरन्तरता दिन कठिन हुन सक्छ।

नेपाली भाषा मान्यता दिवसले आन्दोलन, तत्कालीन कठिनाइहरू र उनीहरूसँग जडित व्यक्तिहरूलाई सम्मान गर्दछ। तर केवल त्यस दिनलाई सार्वजनिक रूपमा आफ्नो भाषाको सम्मान र स्मरण गर्नुले वास्तविक सम्मान र सम्भावित अभिमानको पूर्ण अभिव्यक्ति गर्न सक्छ। नेपाली भाषा मान्यता दिवस हामीलाई हाम्रो भाषाको महत्त्व र यसको संरक्षणको आवश्यकता सम्झाउँछ। यो समय हो, हामी सबैले मिलेर नेपाली भाषालाई हाम्रो दैनिक जीवनमा मान्यता दिऊँ, यसलाई प्रेम गरौं, यसको सम्मान गरौं र यसको भविष्य सुनिश्चित गरौं। नेपाली भाषा केवल भाषा मात्र होइन, यो हाम्रो आत्मा र पहिचानको प्रतिबिम्ब हो।

जुन जातीको भाषा र साहित्य बलियो हुन्दैन त्यो जाति कहिले पनि उन्नति गर्नु सक्दैन।

हाम्रो लागि नेपाली भाषा मान्यता दिवसको शुभकामना!

जय नेपाली भाषा!!
जय गोर्खा!!

Writes – Dr. Ugyaal Tshering Lama Yolmo. He is a Assistant Professor, Department of Mass Communication, SRM University, Sikkim

The post The Language Has Gained Recognition, But Do We Accord It The Reverence It Deserves? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Here are pics from Mirik on 15 August 1982 – Beautiful bridge over Mirik Lake named as ‘Indreni Bridge‘ in honour of INA freedom fighter sahid Indreni Thapa by Late Tirtha Singh Moktan in a programme organized by All India Nepali Bhasa Samity, Mirik Branch. [Photograph courtesy: Mr Birahi Kainla]

Here is the full text of the historical declaration

अखिल भारतीय नेपाली भाषा समिति
मिरिक अंचल कमिटी
पो° मिरिक (दार्जिलिंग)

पत्र संख्या……………. दिनांक………….
सेवामा

आदरणीय महाशय,
मिरिकलाई पर्यटन स्थल बनाएर सरकारले यसको महत्वलाई खुबै सम्मान दिएको छ ।तर यसका प्रमुख स्थलहरूका नामकरण अघिबाटै नभएकोले 15अगस्त 1982को पवित्र अवसरमा समिति द्वारा आयोजित भब्य समारोहमा सात हजार जनताले मिरिकका प्रमुख स्थल तथा बाटो-घाटो को नामकरण गरे जसको बिवरण यस प्रकार छ:-

पर्यटन स्थल भित्र:
1. भानू झील -मिरिकको बिख्यात झील लाई
2. शहीद इन्द्रेणी थापा पूल -भानू झील माथीको पूल लाई
3.शहीद सावित्री देवी पुस्पोध्धान-सेंट्रल पार्कलाई
4.अगम सिंह गिरी पथ-मिरिक थाना देखी मिरिक बस्ती ट्राईबल रोड सम्मलाई

पर्यटन बाहिर:-
1. शहीद दुर्गामल्ल पथ- बालाजी पानघर देखि दिदी होटल सम्म (मिरिक बजार )
2. अच्छा राई ‘रसिक’ पथ – मिरिक प्राथमिक स्वास्थ केन्द्रदेखि देवसे डाड़ा भएर चिजाहाङ चौतारो सम्मको बाटोलाई ।
3. शहीद लाल बहादुर सेवा पथ – बेकारी गोलाई मिरिक बजार देखि स्कूल डाड़ा मिरिक बस्ती सम्म ।

आधुनिक भारतको निर्माणमाअन्ग्रेजी हुकूमतको विरोधमा आफ्नो प्राण उत्सर्ग गर्ने शहीद इन्द्रेणी थापा, शहीद सावित्री थापा, शहीद दुर्गा मल्ल, देशद्रोहीहरू विरुद्धमा लड़दा-लड़दै बलिदान भएका शहीद लाल बहादुर सेवा तथा नेपाली भाषाको विकासमा जीवन अर्पेका तिन महान कवि, लेखकहरू आदिकवि भनुभक्त आचार्य, कवि अगम सिंह गिरी, एवं अच्छा राई रसिक लाई मिरिकका जनताले श्रधान्जली अर्पण गरेको यो पहिलो अवसर थियो ।तर खेद को कूरा जनताको यो पवित्र भावनाको आजसम्म सम्बन्धित विभागद्वारा कदर भएको छैन अनि नामकरण को मान्यता टांगिदै गईरहेको छ । जनता को पक्षमा अखिल भारतीय नेपाली भाषा समिति मिरिक अंचल एवं मूल कार्यालयले सम्बन्धित अधिकारीहरुलाई यथाशीघ्र मिरिक का प्रमुख स्थल र बाटा-घाटाहरुको नामकरणलाई मान्यता प्रदान गरियोस भनी लेखापड़ी र बातचीत गरि सकेको छ । यस्तो जनताको भावनालाई सम्बन्धित अधिकारी एवं विभागबाट 15अगस्त 1985सम्म पनि कदर गरिएन भने अखिल भारतीय नेपाली भाषा समितिको पक्षबाट आन्दोलनको पाईलो उचाल्ने निर्णय भैसकेकोले उक्त शहीद एवं नेपाली भाषाका विद्वान कवि लेखकको नाममा मिरिकका जनताले दिएको श्रधान्जलीको स्मारिका यही जुलाई 1985 भित्र प्रकाशित गर्ने भएका छौं ।अत: यहाँको तर्फबाट 15जुलाई 1985सम्म स्मारिकालाई शुभ सन्देश प्रप्त हुनेछ भन्ने आशा राखेका छौं ।

जनताद्वारा देशको अखण्डतालाई कायम राख्न गरिएको येस्तो सदभावनाको निशचय कदर हुनेछ भन्ने विशवास रख्दछौं ।

सधन्यवाद,
भवदीय
(विरही काईला)
सचिव
अखिल भारतीय नेपाली भाषा समिति
मिरिक अंचल कमिटी
पो° मिरिक
जि° दार्जीलिंग प° ब°

नेपाली भाषाले भारतीय संविधानको आठौं अनुसूचीमा मान्यता पाउनुपर्छ।

Some of their demands from Bhasa Andolan have gone unfulfilled till date. It is our duty to fulfill their dreams.

We are most grateful to our reader Mr. Saroj Nembang who shared these pics and documents with us

The post Bhasa Andolan Crusaders Wanted Mirik to Have These Landmarks appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

This was how an illustrious Gorkha Regiment was reduced from its glorious past to shooting at unarmed people rooting for their rights to their language in the remote hills of Darjeeling. The movement required political pacifism, settlement through discussions and negotiations, at worst some simultaneous police action for maintaining some semblance of normalcy. But using the military as an option to deal with a civil disobedience movement was a drastic desperation and an alien reaction in a democratic society, as it was also an infringement on the honour of the historic infantry battalion in question.

While we expected Gorkha soldiers to appear in their camouflaged battle fatigues, words arrived in town that they had refused to obey the command to shoot at civilians in peacetime. Moreover, they were mostly Gorkha soldiers from Nepal and they wouldn’t shoot their Nepali blood brothers and sisters of Darjeeling. Period!

But this was treason. Disobedience warranted court martial en masse of the entire battalion. What would it be?

Presently, a fully equipped contingent of SRP in their ash-coloured shirts and khaki pants arrived in town, ready with their SLRs. It was amazing to see they were all Nepalis, two to three years older than me. They set their pace every 50 feet along the most sensitive sidewalks of the town’s streets, including the volatile Chowk Bazaar quadrangle.

By the next day, the Lebong Cantonment was empty of the 2/8GR. They had just faded away in the night; they just melted away from Darjeeling. How did they do it? Their long convoys didn’t pass through the town that had the only road leading out. Did they trek through Sikkim and reached the Teesta River Valley to peter out in the plains? Nobody knew about it. It was a stealthiest vanishing act of the Gorkhas. Soon the 3rd Punjab replaced them in Lebong and its band played Scottish airs on the Chowrasta Maidan on Sundays. Then we heard of the debacle of the 2/8GR, met at the hands of the Chinese PLA in the Indo-China War. Was it a rumour? Was it a message of a bitter memory not easily forgotten by somebody up there?

The language showdown came to pass, and the rest is history. This is just a record of a teenager who saw most of the tense days and nights in the 1960s.

Between then and now, the Nepali language has received its own signature in the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council where Nepali has become Gorkhali.

What, then, about the major crusaders involved in the great agitation? How did they fare in the Darjeeling of Gorkhaland? Were they honoured or ostracized and alienated by Gorkhaland?

Indra Sundas, the writer of the novel ‘Mangali’, was a senior magistrate in Darjeeling. But he chose to leave Darjeeling and spent his last years in the plains of Siliguri before he passed away in his mid-80s sometime ago.

Ganesh Lal Subba, the dapper law practitioner, is also no more.

Arsonists in the Gorkhaland disturbances destroyed Indra Bahadur Rai’s houses and farms. He now divides his time between Darjeeling, Siliguri and Calcutta and also likes to visit Kathmandu.

Til Bikram Nembang, the student leader from Nepal, now fully known as Bairagi Kainla, is back in Kathmandu. He has his own ‘bairag’ with the Nepali language in Nepal.

Others too paid heavy prices for their faith and belief in the Nepali language. Many casualties of the fight received neither reprieve from their sufferings nor appropriate succour while many exiled themselves from Darjeeling.

In a fitting retrospection, those who displayed their feelings and demonstrated their protest were branded anti-national by state apparatchiks. Government service holders, most especially, would be hounded and harassed indefinitely. Amber Gurung was thus a marked man, and what he did that day at Chowk Bazaar would pave his way to his exile in Kathmandu. Before that official swoop, he lost his job as creative chief at the Lok Manoranjan Shakha (Folk Entertainment Unit).

Dissent and protest had no place in the realms of one’s individual freedom and personal independence according to the official scheme of things in the Federal Democratic Republic of India at that time. There were always the unfriendliness and confrontational and adversarial possibilities at the state level. Everything the government did for you was a big favour. The top was very heavy on you. These were my feelings of fear and loathing in India when I lived there, in Darjeeling.

India may have been the biggest democracy in the world, but its methods were demonic in suppression and vendetta during those days. The state machinery of intelligence, vigilance and harassment would be Stalinist in approach and practice, carried out by the local police, the armed police, the paramilitary SRPF and the CRPF. The Intelligence Bureau (IB) had its DIB (District Intelligence Bureau) to watch over you. India was a police state of so many prying vices and scrutinising eyes. It was all spooky, suspicious, with fear psychosis reigning supreme in India of those days. That’s what I think of India during those years of Terror Raj in Darjeeling. This still holds true when retired generals continue to be appointed governors in insurgency-ridden states of India. To its own cowed citizens, India is an ever-ready menace, its multi-fanged military machine willing to make mincemeat of you.

These then are my own notations to what Ishwar Ballabh wrote about his own moments of truth during those turbulent times in Darjeeling, some 45 years ago.

[Concluded]

Originally published in The Kathmandu Post on Sunday, August 21, 2005

[All pics via: Lob Thami]

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This is the 3rd and final part of a 3 part series on Nepali Bhasa Andolan, the 2nd part was published yesterday [you can read part 1 it here: https://bit.ly/2PktDLl and part 2 here: https://bit.ly/2PmRvOC] written by one of our eminent contemporary writers Mr Peter J Karthak. we request all of you to kindly SHARE these articles, so that it reaches all of our people, and make them aware of why conserving our language and heritage is so important. We THANK Mr Karthak for kindly permitting us to reproduce his work.

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Author’s note: Some minor changes (additions and deletions) have been made in this edition for Darjeeling Times/Darjeeling Chronicle.

Writes: Peter J. Karthak

Kupondole, Patan, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tuesday, July 19, 2016

This piece was originally published in TheDC FB page on – August 22, 2016. We are republishing it to help our youths connect with our history.

The post SPECIAL ARTICLE: Darjeeling’s Nepali Bhasha Andolan, Circa 1960s – Part III [Conclusion] appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

That the Government College of Darjeeling decided to drop the Nepali curriculum from its collegiate studies, and this ‘decision without consultation’ helped add combustible woodpile to the already tinder-dry situation in the Northeast. Without the Nepali language, the Indian Nepalis had no identity: It was as simple as that. Therefore, there was no alternative to spoiling for a fight.

It was at this very juncture the apolitical personalities of Ganesh Lal Subba, Indra Bahadur Rai, Indra Sundas and Til Bikram Nembang – the latter a Government College student from Nepal – emerged as a knights’ quartet to spearhead the language campaign. What had started as a pocket of student protest turned into a mass movement, and day by day the agitation spread like wildfire and assumed a pan-Darjeeling revolution in which all the bustis, tea estates, cantonments, satellite towns and urban areas joined in, and thus the total transfer of a local protest to a mass action was accomplished.

It was the time when I was at the threshold of my school-leaving period and the expectant entry into collegian life. Darjeeling had seen the arrival of Governor Padmaja Naidu, the daughter of Sarojini Naidu, to take up her summer residence in Darjeeling. I remember the final days at Turnbull High School when Indra Bahadur Rai, our teacher of Nepali, reported to us:

‘Boys, our delegation met the roly-poly Governor inside the Raj Bhawan and we presented our case point by point. The fat woman rolled on the sofa; we did the same. She belched, and we also returned the favour in our own ways.’ It was a rare instance of gentle IB Sir angrily parodying a power-that-be, the executive agent of the central government in the state. We laughed.

Nothing came out of the many meetings with the Governor. The situation worsened by the day. Next was the Chief Minister of West Bengal Dr Bidhan Chandra (BC) Roy’s turn to visit, ostensibly to pay his courtesy call on the Governor in the summer capital of Darjeeling and to settle the language issue as well. But it was a foregone conclusion in the minds of the populace: Nothing concrete would emerge; it was all a sham, a mere formality at dialoguing. Let it boil, simmer and it’ll settle down and fade away on its own eventually. That was both the state and central view.

Indra Bahadur Rai would have none of it. From the public podium of Chowk Bazaar, he bellowed from his pulpit like never before:

‘Let him [tyo in Nepali] come and let’s welcome him [tyaslai] with closed doors and windows and shuttered shops. Let there be no traffic, no vehicles, no people in the streets tomorrow. Tyasle will see a wasteland here and will go from a cemetery. Let’s give tyaslai this kind of reception.’

The town erupted in unanimous agreement.

Next was the turn of Amber Gurung and his Art Academy of Music ensemble, of which I was but a junior member. He played his harmonium and sang his composition to Agam Singh Giri’s anthem, ‘Sugauli sandhi hamile birseka chhainou bhanideu/Tyo Killa Kangra hamile bhuleka chhainou bhanideu.’ Accompanying him were Rudra Mani Gurung, Shekhar Dixit, Saran Pradhan, Ranjit Gazmer, Aruna Lama, Karma Yonzon, Gopal Yonzon, Jitendra Bardewa, Lalit Tamang and other members of the Academy, playing their instruments and supporting Amber’s principal voice with chorus lines and refrains. The music charged the crowd further that afternoon.

On his part, Ganesh Lal Subba, the dapper lawyer, recited many stanzas from his English translation of Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s ‘Muna Madan’ following the fiery speech delivered by Indra Bahadur Rai. Subba’s literary rendition and Amber Gurung’s music were broadcast that afternoon as part and parcel of the Nepali heart and soul in Darjeeling.

Indeed, Darjeeling was a ghost town for the veteran doctor politician BC Roy, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, who was welcomed with exclusion and was packed off to his Coventry in Calcutta with ridicule. The Darjeeling debacle remained unresolved. Even the jamdar or Harijan sweepers and cleaners of the town downed their brooms and buckets. The streets remained empty of people and littered with uncollected garbage, shops and houses closed, schools and offices locked up, and the state’s chief executive’s motorcade received the confetti of flying newspapers along the deserted routes. The impasse with both Governor Naidu and Chief Minister Roy was fast in place, with no compromise in sight.

In three volatile days, the Nepali Language gauntlet picked up by the students of Darjeeling Government College was handed over to the general public and it became a mass movement. The law and order situation deteriorated rapidly. The local constabulary force of WBP (West Bengal Police) was inadequate, and the nearby Bloomfield-based WBAP (West Bengal Armed Police) were put on alert. But both forces, being manned by local Nepalis, were not keen to shoot at fellow Nepalis. The next alternative was to call in the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), mostly with plains Indians in the two paramilitary formations. But they were so far away, spread and stretched thin in other troubled spots of the far Northeast.

In such a civil war situation, an unprecedented development was allegedly taking place behind our backs, in secret. This was the decision to mobilise the Indian Army itself, and this came in the form of assigning the unpleasant task to the 2/8GR (Gorkha Rifles) stationed in the nearby Lebong Cantonment, hardly 20 kilometres away from town. If this were true, it would be the first case of the government resorting to its military to quell a civil agitation that simply demanded a just address through dialogue and negotiation for settlement.

As was routine in the armed forces, various infantry regiments in rotation of three years each visited the Lebong Garrison. The 2/8 Gorkha Rifles were in residence for some time, and its crack football team was a fact to reckon with in soccer-crazy Darjeeling.

Published in The Kathmandu Post of Sunday, August 14, 2005

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This is the 2nd part of a 3 part series on Nepali Bhasa Andolan, the 1st part was published yesterday [you can read it here: https://bit.ly/2PktDLl] written by one of our eminent contemporary writers Mr Peter J Karthak. we request all of you to kindly SHARE these articles, so that it reaches all of our people, and make them aware of why conserving our language and heritage is so important. We THANK Mr Karthak for kindly permitting us to reproduce his work.

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Author’s note: Some minor changes (additions and deletions) have been made in this edition for Darjeeling Times/Darjeeling Chronicle.

Writes: Peter J Karthak

Kupondole, Patan, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tuesday, July 19, 2016

This piece was originally published in TheDC FB page on – August 21, 2016. We are republishing it to help our youths connect with our history.

The post SPECIAL ARTICLE: Darjeeling’s Nepali Bhasha Andolan, Circa 1960s – Part II appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The post SPECIAL ARTICLE: Darjeeling’s Nepali Bhasha Andolan, Circa 1960s – Part I appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Language is considered as the lifeblood of human civilization. The Cambridge dictionary defines language as “a system of communication consisting of sounds, words and grammar, or the system of communication used by people in particular country or type of work.” India being a diversified country, it is Mecca of many languages and dialects, Nepali being one of them.

Nepali is an Indo Aryan language and mainly has its origin in Sanskrit. Mainly considered as the language of Nepal, it is also spoken in many parts of India especially in North Bengal, Dehradun in Uttarakhand and also in large part of North East India.

“Language is Our Life” reads the poster… where is that passion for our language? have we lost it?

Nepali Language and the Indian Constitution: Identity and Issues

The Nepali language has its origin from Nepal and it is also considered as the national language of Nepal. Thus the perceptions of all Nepali speaking people are citizens of Nepal were very popular. The Indo Nepal treaty of 1950 also contributed to it as article VI of treaty mentioned that “Each Government undertakes, in token of the neighborly friendship between India and Nepal, to give to the Nationals of the other, in its territory, national treatment with regard to participation of industrial and economic development of such territory and to grant of concessions and contracts relating to such development.” Further article VII of same treaty complemented by stating “The Governments of India and Nepal agree to grant, on a reciprocal basis, to the nation of one country in the territories of the other the same privileges in the matter of residence, ownership of property, participation in trade and commerce, movement and privileges of a similar nature.”

The Nepali speaking Indian citizens were facing following problems:

• Due to similar culture and language of Nepal, they were misunderstood as Nepali citizens.
• The Indo Nepal treaty of 1950 further diluted the identity and nationality.So recognition of Nepali language became prime importance in order to solve these problems to a great extent.

After the establishment of Nepali Sahitya Sammelan in 25th May 1926, the demand for use of Nepali language for official works was initiated. On 30th of July 1926, Bengal Government issued the official notice stating that “Nepali language” will be renamed as “Nepali.” On 8th January 1927, another official gazette was issued recognizing Nepali as one of the official languages of Bengal province. Regarding the education of Nepali language Bengal government on 24th July 1918 issued another notification stating that under Calcutta University, Nepali can be studied as one Vernacular in Intermediate, I.A. and B.A. courses.
In 1953 one more notification was issued recognizing Nepali as a medium of instruction in school till intermediate.

First steps

The first official demand regarding the recognition was made on 18th Jan 1956 by Anand Singh Thapa, editor of “Jagrat Gorkha.” In his memorandum addressed to the President of Republic of India he writes,”…is it not the matter of great injustice that while our constitution guarantees the official use of any language spoken by the people of the State, the Government does not recognize the language spoken by more than five million people, and that the Nepali Language should be treated as a foreign language in free India?”

The President forwarded the letter to Official language reorganization commission and it was answered by the commission President B.G. Kher. Anand Singh Thapa also sends his further observations on a letter dated 23rd February 1956. After this, there is no record of any new progress.

The citizens of Darjeeling were more focused during that time in the inclusion of Nepali as the official language of West Bengal. After a lot of struggle The West Bengal Official Language Act, 1961 was passed and Nepali was now recognized as the official language of West Bengal. The Next uprising of this revolution began in 1977 when Sindhi was included in 8th Schedule of the constitution.

After 1961, the demand for inclusion of Nepali in the 8th schedule of Indian constitution was mainly confined to Newspapers and magazines. The magazines like Diyaalo and Diyo, the popular literary magazines highlighted these issues in their editorial column too. It was felt that these initiatives were not effective and was confined to a limited area only.

Comrade Ratanlal Brahmin won 1971 general election from Darjeeling constituency and on 22 March 1971 when he wanted to take oath as Member of Parliament in Nepali he was opposed and was not allowed. On 29th June 1971 during the session again Ratanlal Brahmin participated in discussion using Nepali. He was opposed, but he insisted and informed the house of his inability to speak another language except for Nepali, after which speaker had to allow him.

On 3rd January 1972 Nepali Bhasa Samity was founded which was later named as Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Bhasa Samity. The main aim of this Committee was to unify all cultural, Literary, Spiritual, social, political and other organizations in National level.

The first public meet was held on 13th February 1972 where different communities and social organizations were invited and were appealed to support the cause. On 19th February 1972, another Public meeting was organized where all the major political parties were brought together. On 24th February 1972 third meet was held where all literary, cultural and educational organizations were invited. The head office was established in Darjeeling.

All the organizations were requested to send official letters to Prime minister demanding the inclusion of Nepali language in 8th Schedule of the constitution.Resolution for the inclusion of Nepali in 8th Schedule was passed by Legislative Assembly by the state of West Bengal on 2nd July 1977 followed by Tripura on 28th June 1978 and by Sikkim on 22nd September 1982.

The first delegation met the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 11th April 1972. It was painful for the delegation to hear prime minister saying, “.The constitutional recognition of Nepali language should be viewed as a matter of security.” In the same year on 29th October, when she visited Darjeeling and opposed the recognition of Nepali, she had to face a massive protest itself in the meeting venue. Next day whole Darjeeling was shut down and people were on roads, with their demand. The Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to call the delegation of Nepali Bhsasa samity on Raj Bhawan, Darjeeling where delegation submitted a memorandum to her.

On 28th December 1972 the delegation of Bhasa Samiti, all the political parties of Darjeeling and representatives of the important literary organization met in salt lake to seriously about the issue. This meeting ended with the resolution of conducting an all-party meeting in New Delhi.

The delegation of Committee went to meet the then Prime minister of India Moraji Desai on 29th September 1977. They were bluntly refused by the Prime Minister regarding the inclusion in 8th Schedule. During his discussions, Moraji Desai used sentences like “….You all wherever you are you have to adjust and sit, I would rather use, suppressed…” and when he was asked about the inclusion of Sindhi in 8th Schedule he replied “…Sindhi cannot be compared to yours. Sindhi are Indians; during partition, they came here. You all came to be recruited in the army [from Nepal] and you all are just residing in the different part of India. Shall I stop the recruitment of Nepali people in Indian army? When you are given place to adjust your elbow, you want to take everything.”This clearly showed the perspective of Indian government towards the Nepali speaking citizens of India. He too had to face a massive protest when he visited Darjeeling on 28th May 1979.

It came to notice that in order to get a place in the constitution the respective language should be recognized by Sahitya Academy, New Delhi. This mission was also initiated by many literary and political organizations and an eminent person like Dr Parasmani Pradhan and Siddharth Shankar Ray. It was finally accomplished and Nepali got recognition in December 1978.

In 1977 congress lost the election on centre and on 1978 Indira Gandhi again visited Darjeeling as Congress (I) president. She had long discussions with the Bhasa Samiti members and gave hope that if she returns to power the government will take their demand seriously. In 1980 Janta Government fell and Indira Gandhi came to power, but nothing was done. In order to draw the attention of Prime Minister National Meet was organized in Delhi on 7th and 8th November 1981 where Shri Pranab Mukherjee came as Government’s representative informed that the bill will be tabled on parliament on the first session of 1982.

On 5th, 6th and 7th June 1982 Fourth National conference was held by Bhasa Samity and resolution were taken to make this issue strong in national level.

The then chief minister of Sikkim, Nar Bahadur Bhandari assured that he will cooperate in all respect regarding the inclusion of Nepali in 8th schedule.

Amidst Hope and Despair

Indira Government did not turn up and many Bhasa samity and Nepali speaking citizens of India kept pressing the issue through rallies, Dharna, writing in papers etc. but nothing was heard. Slowly the patience began to erode and on 2nd October 1983 three days hunger strike was started in the national capital as well as many places in India which was a grand success.

Again the series of memorandum and reminders were sent to prime minister. On 31st October 1984, Indira Gandhi was assassinated. On 15th March 1985, CPIM M.P. Sathya Gopal Mitra tabled bill regarding the inclusion of Nepali language in the 8th schedule and it was also covered with empty assurance by the government.

Hope was diminishing and there were confusions and setbacks. On 11th and 12th June 1990 All India Nepali language conference was organized in Gangtok. This two days conference gave birth to a new body, “Bharatiya Nepali Rashtriya Parishad.” which had the objective of Inclusion of Nepali Language in 8th Schedule of the constitution. It was headed by Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari.
This organization took the agitation to next level. Nar Bahadur Bhandari himself went to Delhi in order to fetch support from many M.Ps.

On 4th September 1990 delegation again met the then Prime minister V.P.Singh and discussed this matter in great detail. Again the moments of waiting were seen and no seriousness was seen on a part of Government.

Sri P.V. Narshima Rao became the Prime minister. The delegation met him on 10th September 1991 and he also assured after listening to the delegates. The Parishad started conducting many seminars all around the country in order to create pressure to the central government.

Hope Dawns again

In 1991 general election Dil Kumari Bhandari was elected as M.P. from Sikkim which was the turning point for the language lovers. She tabled the private bill on this issue which was discussed on 24th April and 8th May in the parliament. In this long discussion, Dil kumari Bhandari clarified many doubts of the opposing parties.

Prime Minister P.V.Narshima Rao then decided to call an all-party meeting on this issue. On 17th June 1992, Home Minister H.B. Chauhan called the all-party meeting. Since three legislative assemblies had passed the resolution, so it was not a problem for giving the green signal. Then Home minister assured that the bill regarding the inclusion of three languages in Indian constitution will be tabled in the coming session. It was the most hopeful moment for all language lovers.

The monsoon session started from 8th July 1992.The bill regarding the inclusion of Nepali language was also distributed. But it was not proposed before the house. On 19th of August 1992 Dil kumara Bhandari forced the debate in the house and there was lots of uproar in the house. She even said in front of a speaker, “If Nepali is foreign Language then who am I?”

Inclusion

Finally, on 20th August, Lok Sabha passed the inclusion of Nepali, Konkani and Manipuri in 8th Schedule of the constitution with full majority. Mr R.B. Rai, the then Rajya Sabha M.P. writes, “…I got the news that bill is passed in Lok Sabha. I hurried to the central hall and found Dil Kumarai Bhandari and other M.P.s talking in a happy mood.

There was happiness spread all over. She handed over the copy of the bill. In Number 2 of the main bill it was written – Existing entries 9 to 15 shall be renumbered as entries 12 to 18 respectively and before entry 12 as so re-numbered. The entry 11 Nepali shall be inserted. It was a moment of great satisfaction for me…” On the passing of the bill in Rajya Sabha, in his speech, He said, “I am overwhelmed by the trust and confidence bestowed on us. The historic event will go long way in cementing the process of the integrity of the nation in bringing the Nepali speaking people into the mainstream of national life by giving them an ethnic identity.” Thus the Notification on the Nepali Language was issued on 01.09.1992 which was seventy-first amendment of Indian constitution.

Conclusion

The struggle for inclusion of Nepali Language in the 8th schedule of the constitution was historic event for the whole of Nepali speaking community of India. The first memorandum by Anand Singh Thapa to the passing of the bill on 20th of August 1992 went through series of setbacks and pains and sacrifices. So now the vista opens in front of us where we can explore how this language is treated by its native speakers as well as government now. The struggle was not easy and even the management and preservation of this status and language is also a great challenge in the hand of the present generation.

– please read and share this story…so we know the value of our mother language

*Rasik Chhetri is the Founder and Trainer of Prachetas Consulting

We extend our heartfelt GRATITUDE to Mr Lob Thami for sharing these rare pictures with us

The post Nepali “Bhasa Andolan”: Re-telling The Story appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.