ROING, 17 Apr: The Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry’s Undersecretary Parna Sahana visited the RIWATCH Centre for Mother Languages (RCML) in Khinjili here in Lower Dibang valley district on Thursday and inspected the ongoing project titled ‘Promotion of Literary Development of Mother Languages of Arunachal Pradesh’.
The project is supported by the North Eastern Council (NEC) through the Department of Indigenous Affairs (DIA) of the Arunachal Pradesh government.
During her inspection, Sahana commended the RCML for its impactful work in documenting and promoting the linguistic heritage of the state. She encouraged the centre to conduct more research documentation and awareness programmes, and also emphasised the importance of developing more children’s literature in mother languages.
She also released three pictorial glossary books in the Singpho language, published by the 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, DIA Director Sokhep Kri expressed appreciation for the RCML’s work, and urged the centre to expand its initiative to all tribal communities across the state. He assured continued support from the Indigenous Affairs Department in these endeavours.
RIWATCH executive director Vijay Swami emphasised the need for language preservation in maintaining cultural identity. He reiterated the RIWATCH’s commitment to documenting and safeguarding the diverse linguistic landscape of Arunachal through audiovisual documentation.
RCML 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 for documenting folksongs that carry oral traditions, history and identity, “which,” he said, “are at high risk of being lost.”
Dr Kombong Darang in his remarks on the RCML’s audiovisual documentation initiatives underscored the role of technology in preserving endangered languages and cultural practices.
