SHILLONG: Demanding immediate inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the Khasi Authors’ Society (KAS), staged a protest in New Delhi.
Several prominent leaders and pressure groups extended support to the protest demanding he inclusion of Khasi language in the eighth schedule of the constitution.
Prominent leaders who took part in the demonstration in Delhi included Paul Lyngdoh, Minister of Arts and Culture, Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, Animal Husbandry Minister AL Hek, and State Planning Board chairman Metbah Lyngdoh.
The KAS, under the leadership of President DRL Nonglait, got the backing from several pressure groups, including the Khasi Students Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP), Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), and several others.
“The language possesses its script and remains one of the few surviving Austro-Asiatic languages,” Paul Lyngdoh said while highlighting the uniqueness of the Khasi language.
Ampareen Lyngdoh said that the Meghalaya government recognised the Khasi language as its associate language in 2005. She went on to assert that the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, in the fiscal year 2017-18, even passed a resolution seeking the Centre’s acknowledgment of the Khasi language.
Expressing concern over the Centre’s delays despite the state’s consistent provision of the necessary documents, Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “Our language is at the threshold of being recognised, but without the necessary amendment to the Eighth Schedule, our rich language faces the risk of extinction.”
The protest, according to KAS leaders, is only the beginning of a broader national movement to achieve this demand.
The KAS leaders pointed out the language’s cultural significance, its matrilineal roots, and its standing as an associate official language in Meghalaya.
They argued that it is imperative to ensure its recognition at the national level, particularly when less developed tribal languages have already been included.
Meanwhile, in a bid to fortify the demand, the Khasi Students Union mounted banners across Shillong city, conveying a potent message to the Centre regarding the urgency of this inclusion.
