DOIMUKH, Feb 21: The week-long celebration of International Mother Language Day 2023 began today with an inaugural programme and an interactive session with the students here at Rajiv Gandhi University. The programme was initiated and organised on the auspicious occasion by the Department of English and the Department of Hindi. The Vice Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Prof. Saket Kushwaha, graced the inaugural programme and spoke on the importance of preserving and promoting mother languages.
During the programme, the Keynote Address was delivered by Prof. Simon John, AITS, RGU. In his Keynote Address, Prof. Simon John stressed upon the importance of preserving one’s mother tongue in the contemporary world. He said that this can be achieved through the constant use of the mother language. He spoke at length on the lack of proper documentation of the languages of Arunachal Pradesh. He spoke about the lesser-known languages of the state that are plagued with a dwindling population of speakers, some as low as two hundred fifty speakers. He also stressed on the significance of UNESCO in bringing awareness about endangered languages and taking appropriate steps to classify and save these languages. He also dwelled on orality and the formulation of a written script. 
Other speakers during the Inaugural programme included Dr. Arun Kumar Pandey, who stressed on the importance of speaking in one’s mother tongue at homes in order to inculcate the habit and preserve the mother languages.    
This was followed by Prof. S.S. Singh who also addressed the gathering and deliberated on endangered languages and how many languages in Arunachal Pradesh were under similar threat due to prominence of other languages as a means of communication by the younger generation. He emphasized the importance of practicing and taking pride in one’s mother language. 
The Inaugural Address was followed by presentations by students of the English and the Hindi Departments. The students made presentations in their mother language. The presentations included folksongs, description of idioms and proverbs, story-telling and songs. A number of other events will be conducted during the week-long programme.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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