SHILLONG: Pressure groups in the state now want the Khasi language to be made compulsory for Khasi students till Class X while the resolution passed by the state Legislative Assembly for inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution is still pending with the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs.
HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin, however, said non-Khasis will not be forced to learn the language.
The state Assembly had passed the unanimous resolution last year urging inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
When asked if the proposal requires approval of the Sahitya Akademi before the resolution is finally approved by the MHA, an official of the Khasi Authors Society, which is pursuing the matter, said that the authority lies with the Department of Official Language to constitute an expert committee, including members from Sahitya Akademi.
The official also said that the language has enormous vocabulary with certain words not available in other ancient languages.
It is said that the Khasi could be as ancient as any language in the region or even in the country with one theory stating that the Khasis inhabited the area more than 40000 years ago, more ancient than others in the region who migrated from Tibet and Burma.
It may be mentioned that Calcutta University has Khasi language as a subject since 1919, Gauhati University since 1965 and NEHU has Khasi department since 1981 and offers PhD in the subject.
The two languages of Khasi and Garo are understood, spoken and used by over 23 lakh tribals and both languages are recognised as the associate official languages in the state.
The two languages have rich and unique traditions which are different from other languages in the country and were considered second official languages in the state since 2005.
The resolution passed by the Assembly last year stated that nearly 14 lakh Khasi speakers and over 9 lakh Garo speakers (according to the Census 2011) are confined to a large continuous geographical zone and it is incumbent upon the Centre to extend recognition as was done to Manipuri, Bodo, Nepali, etc. by amending the Constitution.
Meanwhile, HYC president Robertjune Kharjahrin said that most of the district administrations now use either Khasi or Garo language in their communication and even government schemes are now being translated into Khasi language.
He also said that Khasi and Garo, which are associate languages, should now be made official languages of the state.
Stating that they want the Khasi language to be made compulsory for Khasi students till Class X, he, however, added that they will not force non-Khasis to learn the language.
“We hope that in future, not only government offices but even the courts will use local languages alongside English especially when they record the statement of anyone who is not well versed in English.
