Struggle for Recognition of Nepali Language: A Brief Outline

GYAN BAHADUR CHHETRI

Finally, on the 20th of August 1992, the long cherished demand of the Nepali speaking people of India is fulfilled.  The Lok Sabha passed the bill for inclusion of Nepali, Manipuri and Konkani in the 8^th schedule of the Constitution of India on that day.

The recognition of the language was the greatest issue which was related to the national identity of the Nepali speaking people of India. They were often doubted and treated as aliens. Soon after the recognition of their language the marginalized feeling slowly started diminishing and the community began to feel at home in the mainstream.

Hence, the Indian Nepali people celebrate the day of 20^th August with great splendor as Bhasha Manyata Divas every year. On this day, along with a series of cultural activities the persons, legislators and organizations that fought for this noble cause are remembered and felicitated. In a democratic country like India passing of any Bill in the Parliament is possible only with the support of the majority of members of the Houses.

The recognition of Nepali language was achieved after a long struggle. It has a history of 36 years long democratic movement. The first official demand was made on the 18th of January 1956 by Anand Singh Thapa, Veer Singh Bhandari and Narendra Singh Rana on behalf of a quarterly magazine, The Jagrat Gorkha from Dehradun. They wrote a letter to the Hon’ble President of India requesting to use His high authority, according to the Constitution Clause 347, for the recognition of Nepali language as one of the languages of India.

The Hon’ble President forwarded the letter to Mr. B.G. Kher, the Chairman, Official Language Reorganization Commission. In his reply, Mr. Kher stated that Nepali is a foreign language hence, it cannot be recognized. In the same year, Dr. Suniti Kumar Chatterjee, eminent linguist and also a member of the official language commission strongly advocated in favor of Nepali and its recognition.  “ …other Indian languages are to be added to this Schedule following wishes of their speakers and their importance, e.g.  Sindhi and Nepali. (Note on the report of the Official Language Commission, 1956). He opined that Nepali is one of the fifteen major Indian languages with her lineage of Sanskrit and closely related to Hindi, Bengali, Assamese etc.  of Indo- European group. During this period Darjeeling was facing turmoil of the struggle for inclusion of Nepali as an official language of West Bengal. After a lot of struggle The West Bengal Official Language Act, 1961 was passed and Nepali was recognized as an official language of the state (West Bengal).

Ratanlal Brahman, popularly known as Maila Baje won Lok Sabha elections from Darjeeling in 1971. An unprecedented situation was created in the Lok Sabha when he wanted to take oath in his mother tongue, Nepali.  But, he was not allowed. This incidence ignited his inner soul and he solemnly vowed to speak in Nepali in the House. On 18.6.1971, he took part in a debate and started his speech in Nepali. When the Speaker intervened,   he insisted and informed the House of his inability to speak in languages other than his mother tongue. Then the Hon’ble Speaker, Mr. Gur Dayal Singh Dhilon,  allowed him to speak in Nepali. In this way, Maila Baje created a history by speaking in Nepali in the Parliament.

Then Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Bhasha Samity was founded on the 3^rdof January 1972 (originally Nepali Bhasha Samity). The main objectives of the committee was to unite all the cultural, literary, social and political organizations under one umbrella with the aim of achieving the goal, the inclusion of Nepali language in the 8^th Schedule of the Constitution. The committee initiated a series of actions including meeting with the Prime Minister. Due to active role and constant persuasion some Legislative Assemblies passed resolution fo recognition of Nepali language;  West Bengal on 2.7.1977, Tripura on 28.6.1978 and Sikkim on 22.9.1992.  Later, Himachal Pradesh Assembly too, adopted similar steps. Adopting of resolution in the state assemblies was a major step towards the goal.

The Bhasha Samity Delegation met the PM Mrs Indira Gandhi on the 11^th of April 1972 and thereafter Morarji Desai on the 29^thof September 1977. Both the meetings ended up with bitter experience due to negative attitude of the Prime Ministers. Prime Minister Desai even threatened to withdraw recognition of the Sahitya Akademi.

All India Nepali Language Conference was held at Gangtok with two days programme on 11^th and 12^th June 1990. This conference gave birth to a new organization Bharatiya Nepali Rastriya Parisad with a sole objective of getting Nepali language its due recognition. The organization was headed by Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the Chief Minister of Sikkim.

Nar Bahadur Bhandari himself went to Delhi in order to fetch support from many M.Ps. Under the banner of Bharatiya Nepali Rastriya Parisad the entire Nepali speaking populace all over the country joined the movement that paved the way towards its goal.

In 1991, Sri P.V. Narashima Rao became the Prime minister of India. The delegation met him on 10th September 1991. He listened to the delegates sincerely and assured them of doing the needful. The Parishad started conducting many seminars all over the country in order to create pressure on the central government.

 At that time Mrs Dil Kumari Bhandari was elected as M.P. from Sikkim which was the turning point for the language movement. She tabled a private bill on this issue which was discussed on the 24th of April and 8th May in the Parliament. In this long discussion, Dil Bhandari clarified many doubts of the opposing parties.

The monsoon session of the Parliament started from 8th July 1992.The bill regarding the inclusion of Nepali language was also distributed among the MPs. On the 19th of August 1992, Dil Kumari Bhandari forced the debate in the house and there was lots of uproar in the house. Next day, on the 20^th of   August the language bill was passed clearing the path of inclusion of Nepali, Manipuri and Konkani languages in the 8^th schedule of the Constitution.

(The First letter addressed to the Hon’ble President of India)

The President

Republic Of India

Rastrapati Bhawan

New Delhi

Your Excellency,

With due respect we venture to invite your kind attention towards the five million Gorkhas who have made India their homeland and who enjoy perfect citizenship of India. But an injustice has been done to them in regard to the language question.

Among the fourteen languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of our constitution, the Nepali language--- the language of five million people has been totally ignored. Whereas it will not be improper to mention here that prior to independence, even during the British regime, Nepali was one of the recognized Indian languages. It is disheartening to us Gorkhas, more than five million of whom are born citizen of I, that our language has been excluded from the list of Indian language and is being considered as a foreign language.

Our children who used to take Nepali as one of the subjects in the high school and Intermediate classes are now unable to do so. Today either they have to take their mother tongue as a foreign language or leave it. In fact they are forced to leave it, because they are not allowed to take two foreign languages at a time. English--- the present official language of the Union—is one of the foreign languages, and today it is not possible for our children to leave it because leaving the English language means losing the means of earning. It is why your excellency, we say that our children are forced to leave their mother tongue. We think now Your Excellency can easily imagine our problem and feeling by this.

We humbly ask Your Excellency to appreciate the fact that gross injustice has been done to our community and the future of or language is doomed.

We ask is it not strange, is it not a matter of great injustice that while our constitution guarantees the official use of any language spoken by the people of a state, the government does not recognize the language spoken by more than five million of people, and that the Nepali language should be treated as a foreign language in free India?

We humbly approach Your Excellency to use your high authority, according to the Constitution Clause 347, for the recognition of Nepali language as one of the languages of India.

Thanking Your Excellency

                                                                                                 Yours Faithfull                            

1.      Anand S. Thapa

2.      Veer Singh Bhandari

3.      Narendra S. Rana

Editorial Board

JAGRAT GORKHA Karyalaya

Dehra Dun Cantt.

Dated 18^th January ‘56