Kathmandu, Feb 21: A national poetry symposium on mother languages has been held in the federal capital on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day on Friday.
The literature enthusiasts recited poems in 48 different languages on the occasion. The event was organized by Nepal Academy. At the programme, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pande, viewed the poetry symposium would help preserve languages which are on the verge of extinction.
The State must take initiatives to protect the languages that are facing identity crises. The preservation of mother languages is linked to the multidimensional value of knowledge, the Minister said. He reminded that as many as 7,000 languages are spoken in the world at present, while Nepal alone has 131 languages in practice. If the research is conducted on it, further languages could be identified.
All sides need to be aware to save languages which are in imminent threat. “There is only one person speaking Kusunda language. It is worrying that languages are vanishing. So, all sides’ efforts can help save the mother tongues from fading,” he reminded.
Moreover, every language has sense, sensitivity and message. It has philosophy and evolution as well, Minister stressed. On the occasion, Chancellor of Academy, Bhupal Rai, said the Academy was for protecting languages of all communities and cultures. The languages are invaluable assets of human being, he added.
On the occasion, the Academy Mother Language Literature Award was conferred on Ganesh Bambule Rai and Kamal Singh Rana. Each of them received Rs 100 thousand cash along with the award.#nepal # International Mother Language Day #rss
