Manipuri language day marked in state with renewed call for conservation
Manipur marks the 34th year since Manipuri language was added to the Eighth Schedule. Concerns over limited progress in language promotion. Officials stress balancing English and Manipuri learning.
- Aug 20, 2025,
- Updated Aug 20, 2025, 8:32 PM IST
Manipur, on August 20, observed the 34th Manipuri Language Day, commemorating the inclusion of Manipuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The event was held at the MFSDS Auditorium and was jointly organised by the Manipuri Language Day Celebration Committee, the Department of Art and Culture, and the Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation.
Speaking at the function, convenor of the celebration committee, Leihaothabam Sharatchandra, recalled the decades-long struggle that led to Manipuri being recognised as one of India’s scheduled languages in 1992. He, however, expressed concern that despite being the lingua franca of the state and over three decades of recognition, little progress has been made in preserving, promoting, standardising, and modernising the language.
“With enormous effort, Manipuri was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 1992. The present generation should always treasure the hard work and dedication that went into securing this recognition,” he said, stressing that language is intrinsic to the identity of a community and must never be neglected.
Sharatchandra also criticised the growing trend of parents encouraging children to speak English while neglecting their mother tongue. “Learning an international language is good, but parents must also give equal importance to Manipuri. Otherwise, it will degrade the status of our mother tongue,” he cautioned.
Highlighting the lack of institutional progress, he pointed out that even after 30 years of recognition, Manipur has yet to produce an encyclopaedia or comprehensive dictionary in Manipuri. He urged authorities to take stronger measures to conserve and promote the language, warning that the preservation of Manipur’s art, culture, and literature would be impossible if the language itself were to decline.
The programme was attended by several dignitaries, including former minister M. Nara Singh, former Union Ministers of State R. K. Ranjan Singh and Meijinlung Kamson, and former MP Th. Meinya Singh.