LEPCHA LANGUAGE INTRODUCED IN THE GOVERNMENT

THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF DARJEELING HILLS TILL 1911 FINALLY GETS REINTRODUCED IN SCHOOLS.
1. The School Education Department, Government of West Bengal decided to introduce the Lepcha tribal language in the Government Primary and Secondary Education Schools in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal for the Lepcha children as an optional subject with effect from the next session, February 2011. It was officially announced during a meeting by the Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, School Education Department, Government of West Bengal, Shri Partha De at Bikash Bhawan, Salt Lake City, Kolkota on Wednesday, 8 September 2010. It was announced on the occasion of two major events:

a. 8 September being the International Literacy Day and
b. The 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Viswa Kabi Rabindranath Tagore.

2. During the meeting, a committee was formed to formulate plans and prepare and work on the Lepcha text books, syllabus, curriculum, selection of Lepcha Language Teachers etc and submit its final report to the Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, School Education Department, Government of West Bengal. The Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong will be involved to give its expert opinion, suggestion and advice to the Committee to formulate its plan and policy on the introduction of Lepcha language in the Government Primary and Secondary Education schools in the Darjeeling Hills for the Lepcha children as an optional subject.

3. Until 1911, Lepcha was the Official Language of the Darjeeling Hills. It became unfashionable to the then rulers and it was replaced by Hindi/Hindustani and later by English until 1947. So much so the Lepchas’ very rich and ancient language and literature even did not get its due place in the schools in their own homeland, Darjeeling Hills.

In 1925, the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong was established to demand for the introduction of Lepcha language in schools in the Darjeeling Hills under the leadership of its Founder President, Aathing Sangdo Tshering Tamsang Lepcha. He was followed by Ren G. T. Sitling Lepcha, Renyoo Azem Rebecca Namchyoo Lepcha (David Babuni), Ren Sungkyaol Karthak Lepcha, Ren Arthur Fonning Lepcha, Ren Apang Chhyoden Lepcha, Aathing K. P. Tamsang Lepcha, Ren Bagsing Lepcha, Ren C. D. Lepcha, Ren Tunsing Simick Lepcha, Ren D. T. Tamsang Lepcha and others.

The struggle to introduce the Lepcha language in the Government Schools for Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills continued. Lepcha text books from the Primary to Higher Secondary Education including a huge Lepcha-English Encyclopedic Dictionary were compiled and published. Books were translated from Lepcha to English, Hindi, Bengali and Nepali and vice versa. 40 Lepcha Night Schools in Lepcha villages were established with dedicated Lepcha Language Teachers. Three Lepcha bilingual magazines were started. Seminars, workshops, meetings, conferences were organised on the Lepcha language and literature to educate the Lepchas as well as invited linguists, scholars,

anthropologists to the Lepcha world. Lepcha scholars and leaders participated in the national seminars, conferences and workshops organised by various Government Departments, institutions and NGOs in various parts of the country. Lepcha leaders spoke and demanded for the introduction of Lepcha language in the Government Primary and Secondary Education schools in the Darjeeling Hills with consistency.

The following Governmental Departments, institutions and NGOs gave their unfailing support for the Lepcha cause:

a. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Government of India
b. The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, Ministry of HRD
c. Linguistic Minority Commissioner, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India
d. The Asiatic Society, Kolkota
e. Sahitya Akademi, Kolkota (Academy of Letters, Kolkota)
f. M. Way Charitable Trust, UK
g. Margareta Weisser Foundation Fund for Indigenous People in Asia, Germany
h. Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Baroda, Gujarat
i. Shri M. M. Gurung
j. Dr. R. K. Sprigg and others

After a long consistent struggle, particularly, for the last fourteen years under the able leadership of the President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, Ren Lyangsong Tamsang Lepcha, the very rich and ancient Lepcha language was finally given its due in the homeland of the indigenous Lepchas, the Darjeeling District.

4. The indigenous Lepcha tribal people are delighted, thrilled, very happy indeed and very grateful to the Government of West Bengal for introducing the Lepcha language in the Government Primary and Secondary Schools for the Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills, West Benga with effect from February 2011.

5. The Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, School Education Department, Government of West Bengal has been very cordially invited by the Indigenous LepchaTribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong in October to meet the Lepcha tribal people and to address them about their very rich and ancient Lepcha language and its introduction in the Government Primary and Secondary Schools in the Darjeeling Hills for the benefit of the Lepcha tribes and the need to conserve it for posterity.

6. We take this opportunity to thank all those people out there who helped the indigenous Lepchas of Darjeeling District to introduce the Lepcha language in the Government Primary and Secondary Schools in the Darjeeling Hills.




12 September 2010



PREVIOUS FOLLOW UP
Introduction of the Lepcha Language
in Schools for Lepcha Children
in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal
A Report

The District Inspectors of Schools, Primary and Secondary, Darjeeling, tasked the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, to collect the data of Lepcha children studying in the Primary and Secondary Schools in the Darjeeling Hills for the session 2007-2008. You may recollect that this Association did a similar collection of data, survey, of the Lepcha children studying in schools in the Darjeeling Hills for the session 2005-2006.

30 June 2006:
Duly completed and up to date data of the Lepcha children studying in the Primary and Secondary Schools, Darjeeling Hills, for the session 2007-2008 was submitted to the District Inspectors of Schools, Primary and Secondary Schools, by the following Lepcha delegates on 30 June 2008 at their respective offices:

Ren Lyangsong Tamsang - President
Ren P.T. Lepcha - General Secretary
03 July 2008 :
A Lepcha delegation consisting of the following Executive Committee members, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, met Shri B.L. Meena IAS, the Administrator, Darjeeing Hills, on 3 July 2008 at his office in Jalpaiguri:

Ren Lyangsong Tamsang - President
Ren Palden Lepcha - Vice-President
Ren P.T. Lepcha - General Secretary
Ren N. T. Lepcha - Joint Secretary

Under a very cordial atmosphere, the Lepcha delegation briefed Shri B.L. Meena on the very rich and ancient Lepcha language and literature and submitted their memorandum to him concerning the indigenoue Lepchas’long standing demand for the introduction of Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal. Shri P. Sada WBCS (Executive), the Assistant Divisional Commissioner, Jalpaiguri, was also presentduring the meeting. Shri B.L Meena IAS, Administrator, Darjeeing Hills, gave his words to the Lepcha delegation that he would definitely look into it and see what he could to implement the Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills.

10 July 2008:
Another Lepcha delegation led by Ren Lyangsong Tamsang met Shri S. Mahapatra IAS, the Joint Secretary, Education Department, Government of Wes Bengal, Salt Lake City, Kolkata, at his Office and submitted the memorandum to him. The Joint Secretary, Education Department, Government of West Bengal, is presently responsible and dealing with the indigenous Lepchas’ demand for the introduction of Lepcha language in schools for the Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal. He assured the Lepcha delegates of his help and assistance and in fact, he categorically said that on receipt of the recommendations from the Administrator, Darjeeling Hills,he would take the necessary action to introduce the Lepcha language as a ‘subject’ in schools in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal. The following gentlemen accompanied the President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association:

Ren O. John Lepcha - President, Thom Shezoom, Kolkata
Ren Simon Lepcha - Secretary, Thom Shezoom, Kolkata

The same day in the afternoon, a delegation of the Lepchas consisting of the following met the Hon’ble Minister-in Charge, Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal, at his office in the Writers Buildings, Kolkata:

Ren Lyangsong Tamsang -President
Ren Gaulan Lepcha MLA, Kalimpong Constituency
Ren O. John Lepcha President, Thom Shezoom, Kolkata

The Hon’ble Minister of Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal, listened patiently to the grievances of the indigenous Lepchas of West Bengal and assured the delegates of his assistance and added that he would write to the Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Education Department, Government of West Bengal, to introduce the Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal as a ‘subject’.

It looks promising.

Introduction of Lepcha Language in Schools
for Lepcha Children in the Darjeeling Hills- A follow up

Ren Lyangsong Tamsang, President, Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, visited Kolkata from 27-29 January 2009 and met the following dignitaries seeking their support for the introduction of Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills as a subject:
a. Professor Ramakanta Chakravorty
Secretary
Asiatic Society

b. Professor Shyam Sunder Bhattacharjya
Chairperson
Status of the Lepchas of West Bengal Committee
Asiatic Society

c. Dr. Ram Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Regional Secretary
Sahitya Akademi

d. Shri. S. K. Upadhyay
Assistant Commissioner
Linguistic Minorities in India (Eastern Region)
Government of India

The above persons have given their words to support and work for the indigenous Lepchas’ rightful demand for the introduction of Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal, as a subject.

A Staff Correspondent


Lepcha Delegation meet the Hon’ble Chairperson,
National Commission for Scheduled Tribes,
Government of India

The Hon’ble Chairperson, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Government of India, visited North Bengal from 12 to 16 February 2009. During her official visit, she met the Lepcha delegation, separately, on 12 February 2009 at the Circuit House, Siliguri. The followingExecutive Committee Members of the Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association, Headquarters Kalimpong, were present:
Ren Lyangsong Tamsang - President
Ren Palden Lepcha - Vice-President
Ren P. T. Lepcha - General Secretary
Ren N.T. Lepcha - Joint Secretary

They placed the following points for discussions:

a. Introduction of the Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children as a subject in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal.
b. Service/employment of the Lepchas in defence forces including Navy, Air Force, Para Military Forces and West Bengal Police Forces.
c. Total scrapping of planned construction of mega electric hydel power porjects in Dzongu, the holy land of Lepchas, in North Sikkim.

The Chairperson and her delegation including the Vice-Chairman, Secretary and others listened to the Lepchas’ grievances very patiently and gave a number excellent suggestions to work on. During her official visit, she met the Governor of West Bengal, Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, Minister in-Charge, Backward Classes Welfare Department, Secretary, Education Department, Government of West Bengal and others and spoke, discussed with them the long standing demand of the indigenous Lepchas of Darjeeling Hills for the introduction of Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children as a subject in the Darjeeling Hills. This has been very clearly reflected in the ‘minutes’ of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Gpvernment of India.
Ren Lyangsong Tamsang again met the Hon’ble Chairperson, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Government of India, at her office in New Delhi on 23 February 2009 to follow up the above matters.
Ren Lyangsong Tamsang also met the National Secretary, Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, on 20 Febraury 2009 in New Delhi concerning the Introduction of Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children as a subject in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal. He has assured of his support to the indigenous Lepcha tribes of Darjeeling Hills.
On 24 February 2009, Ren Lyangsong Tamsang met the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs, Government of India, Dr. Rameswar Uraon, concerning the introduction of Lepcha language in schools for Lepcha children as a subject in the Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal.

A Staff Reporter