Losing voices to the lingua franca

Surendra Phuyal

The young lad was talking over the phone with his sister-in-law living abroad on a recent Saturday afternoon. Sharp Connection, a Kantipur FM 96.1 programme currently sponsored by the Japanese electronics giant, Sharp, was facilitating the long-distance conversation. His sister-in-law living in Hongkong or Singapore asked in Nepali how everyone was back home, and the boy responded to her queries honestly while asking about his near and dear ones struggling for existence in a faraway land. Not until his elderly grandma snatched the receiver from his sister-in-law and asked her college-going grandson how he and those in their family were faring, did something else become apparent.

For a brief while, she spoke in Nepali and then suddenly switched to her own mother tongue—the Gurung language, which is spoken widely by thousands of Gurungs in the western hills-and now plains too—of Nepal. She was finding it much easier to express herself in her native language than in Nepali, the national language of multi-lingual, multi-racial and multi-cultural Nepal. In contrast, the lad was appearing quite hesitant and was making some awkward attempts at it.

Transmitted live on the frequency modulation wave band, the conversation was an important one for the two separated family members living in different cities thousands of kilometres apart. Suddenly, the programme hostess interrupted and encouraged the young man to speak his native language—and not necessarily Nepali. He continued with difficulty. The conversation lasted for several minutes, during which the elderly woman left some messages for her near and dear ones back home and lectured the young man now living and studying in Kathmandu.

The scene shows how factors like nationalization, and now globalization, are inexorably eating up different ethnic cultures and languages of the indigenous communities in Nepal-and everywhere: in Africa, in the Americas, in Australia, and across Asia- which is home to a vast majority of the world’s ethnic communities. With globalization of literally everything fast catching on in virtually every corner of the planet, dozens of ethnic languages are being forgotten by the members of its younger generation. Various international, regional, national languages and lingua francas are rapidly replacing the languages.

Traditions, traditional attires and costumes and the literature of ethnic groups or nationalities too are fast disappearing as things continue to go national, regional and now global. Promoters of traditional cultures, conservationists and traditionalists alike are more concerned about how things stand on the ethnographical front today than ever before. The technological boom has made it possible for a variety of both local and alien television channels to make it to the drawing and bed rooms of the world’s rich and poor alike, whose countries and cities sit beneath hi-tech, sophisticated and space-trotting satellites. And there is the Internet, the information superhighway, and the increasing access to it.

But voices and concerns are being raised: Isn’t it high time the concerned authorities and the communities in question did something to preserve the ethnic cultures and, most importantly, languages that are on the brink of extinction? Shouldn’t the world’s and nations’ planners and policymakers put in place some visionary measures and protect the world’s heritages and let them flourish for centuries to come? (According to a recent International Labor Organization (ILO) report, Asia is home to half the world’s 300 million indigenous people and, ironically, these people rank among the world’s poorest and most deprived. The report, released on the eve of World Indigenous Peoples Day (August 9), further states that the world’s highest infant mortality rates, lowest income levels, most widespread illiteracy and slimmest access to health and social services are to be found among the world’s 300 million indigenous people.)

Against such a backdrop, it is not hard to imagine why or what factors could have pushed such cultures and languages to its current state. Factors like poverty, illiteracy, economic backwardness coupled with governments’ utter disregard to the plight of these communities have contributed to making the world’s indigenous people so vulnerable. Plagued by such ills many do not even know that cooked food and clean drinking water are necessary for a healthy life, let alone the importance of preserving and promoting their language and culture. The case is no different for Nepal’s ethnic groups or minorities. Today, vanishing cultures and languages, migration problems, high infant-and maternal-mortality and illiteracy rates have become some of the defining features of Nepal’s indigenous communities or nationalities.

Nepal char jat chhatis barna ko sajha phulbari ho (Nepal is a common garden where four castes and 36 sub-castes blossom forth), so said King Prithvi Narayan Shah, who founded modern Nepal by unifying dozens of dot-sized, tiny, feudal states nearly 300 years ago. Today, at the dawn of the new millennium, there are people who belong to more than 36 sub-castes living in the mountains, mid-hills and plains of Nepal with their colourful cultures and traditions. The government has declared the people belonging to 61 castes, including the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley, as nationalities, but many more castes are still missing, say experts. There are more than 100 nationalities scattered across the country, according to them. Added to this are the sub-castes that have not yet obtained official status: For instance, the Newars have 4 castes and 64 sub-castes within them, while the people living in the Terai too have several castes and sub-castes.

Starting from an elevation of 60 metres in the Terai and climbing all the way to 8,848 metres, the highest point on earth, Nepal not only features unique geographical and biological diversities but also immense cultural and ethnic diversities. Although compelled by recent political establishments to speak and write Nepali, the national language or the lingua franca, these ethnic groups have their own cultures, identities. They speak their own languages. The point being driven home here is not that all the castes and sub-castes scattered across the length and breadth of the country should be protected and caste-based discriminations existing therein promoted, but that the rich, unique—and now threatened—cultures, traditions and languages of the minorities should be preserved and promoted for good.

Minorities like Dalits, the ‘outcasts’ of the Hindu caste system, on the other hand are continually being harassed and oppressed by those belonging to so-called higher castes all over the country, if not the sub-continent. As Nepal’s threatened cultures and languages yearn for the attention of the state and its policymakers, the over 40 million Dalits-who make up 20 percent of Nepal’s population-are living in hope that genuine social upliftment, or equal status, things which the nation’s politicians never fail to talk about, will be for real one day. Only by ensuring Dalits their "inalienable rights to social justice, freedom and happiness" can the government seriously talk about human rights and democracy, in a society where incidents of caste-based oppression are rampant.

But the state’s policy has never been very friendly. Case in point: the aboriginals’ right to speak their mother tongue. Experts following the developments of the past few decades blame past governments for suppressing the language rights of the minorities. "By dictating what in the past would be known as the Khas (Nepali) language as the national language," says a renowned sociologist at the Nepal Nationalities Association, preferring to remain anonymous, "the past establishment (Panchayati establishment) not only angered the indigenous groups but also played a major role in pushing our ethnic languages to the brink of extinction. Today, hardly any member of an ethnic group’s younger generation can read or write his native language, although most languages have their own scripts."

Although the national census held in 1952, 1954 and 1961 put the total number of languages spoken all over Nepal at 36, the number of languages nose-dived to 17, 18 and 19 in the census held respectively in 1965, 1981 and 1991. However, both Nepali and foreign linguists studying the ethnic languages have claimed that the number of languages spoken in Nepal is twice as high. The fact that up to 32 sub-languages are spoken by various sub-ethnic groups within the Kirats and Rai community alone corroborates their claim. Similarly, the experts have identified several more languages within the Bharopeli family and more than a dozen more sub-languages within the Tibeto-Burmese family.

Experts have suggested a few measures for the preservation and conservation of ethnic languages:

* Recognize and encourage all the ethnic languages by adopting a liberal and unbiased policy

* Do something immediately to preserve nearly extinct languages like the Kusunda language

* Establish a separate Language and Culture Ministry

* Start appointing academicians and linguists from minority groups in the Royal Nepal Academy and government bodies

Some of the languages spoken in Nepal:

Bharopeli (family) Tibeto-Burmese Agneya Drabid

Nepali, Maithili, Tamang, Newari, Rai, Satar (Santhal) Jhangad

Bhojpuri, Tharu, Limbu, Gurung, Sherpa (Tibetan) (1) (Ghangad)

Abadhi, Urdu, Chepang, Dhimal, Thami, Byabi, (1)

Hindi, Rajbanshi, Thakali, Jirel, Sunuwar, Lyapche,

Bengali, Danuwar, Meche, Pahari, Hayu

Marwadi, Majhi, Magar and Rai. (19)

Darai, Kuman and English (15)

Speakers of some of the mother tongues (according to the 1981 Census)

Nepali 58.4 per cent

Maithili 11.1 per cent

Bhojpuri 7.6 per cent

Newari 3.0 per cent

Gurung 1.2 per cent

Tamang 3.5 per cent

Tharu 3.6 per cent

Sherpa 0.5 per cent

Confessing on the razor’s edge

By Dikshya Thakuri

I had almost forgotten her. Out of sight out of mind. But then I ran into somebody who not only knew her but was still caught up in her. That’s when I started to think about her again, a friend of mine back in college who was half Nepali and half Indian. She was intelligent, pretty, smart and a real charmer. Guys would fall for her at first glance. She thought studying seriously and coming out with flying colours in her B.A exams was all mediocre stuff. Run of the mill. As far as I know she didn’t clear her exams. No doubt she could have topped it if she wanted to but she wasn’t into it. She once told me that when she was in her 12th standard, one of her teachers had challenged her intelligence and considered her to be a waster, nothing. To prove a point, she studied hard for a month or 2 and topped the class to everyone’s surprise. But I can’t say if she was telling the truth.

A party animal, a dreamer, somebody in her own trip but who loved mixing and connecting with people who matched her thinking, somebody who wanted to be trendy, somebody with a simple dream who saw herself married to her boyfriend in the future with kids — that was her. But it’s difficult to ever know the truth about somebody. And it’s even harder when all you’ve got now is hearsay and rumour. She had 2 sides — one, very compassionate, sensitive and understanding. The other was totally wild. I could see that she walked a fine line between restraint and the razor’s edge. You know, that, I don’t give a damn kind of attitude. She’d do whatever she wanted to. A person who borrowed money extensively and lived beyond her means but made a point to pay it back, though it took time.

She had a rich boyfriend. She was very much in love with him. We all used to get bored to tears when she talked about the things they did together (she never left out the intimate parts either) but that was just an initial phase. Later it was more of a love-hate story.

I remember clearly when we’d just joined the hostel, she used to tell us things about her past that would make us wonder who she really was. One of them went like this — "Once there was a whole gang of guys following me with guns in their hands. I ran for my life as fast as I could, they were firing shots in the air and somehow I managed to escape". We never thought she was lying as we were so taken in by the way she said things. Sounded really adventurous, straight out of a movie-like experience in real life. Later another friend of mine and I decided that it was an attention grabbing tactic. The centre of attention had to be her, always. She would charm and enthrall everybody with her charmingly crazy ways.

Many, in our second year in college, left the restricting digs. Some shifted to another hostel but she went to live with others in an apartment. After that she went to stay with another senior who had passed out of our college, somebody she really got along with.

Towards the end of our course, after going steady with him for more than 2 years, she broke off with her boyfriend. He told her that he didn’t intend to marry her and she walked out of the relationship but remained friends with him. The fact that her boyfriend was cheating on her came as a shock to us because she was pretty, smart and loving. What more could he want? Men can be men after all with their brains fixed somewhere else. She lost control and restraint after that. People who liked her initially, kicked her out of the house she was staying in because of her suddenly intolerable character. Even her close friends avoided her like the plague.

The last thing I heard was that she was last seen walking barefoot with disheveled hair almost like a sadhu, travelling all over India riding third class compartments with her foreign friends. I don’t know where she is and what she is doing. Like I said, what do we really know about people. Why they live the way they live. All I’m really sure about is, like most of us, she had choices.

But I wonder if she’s avoiding a life full of mediocrity and just doing things the way she wants to. I once tried to act like her mentor and tried to dissuade her from what she was getting into. She agreed with me totally and said that I was right but never took it seriously.

The reason that I haven’t mentioned her name is I don’t think she would be happy to see it in print. I don’t think she will get to read this piece because she’s not from Nepal and the last thing she’d do is surf the net and read it. On second thoughts, she probably wouldn’t care even if she did.

"namaste

may change come easy to you without conflict

and may love fill you

may sorrow, ignorance, hatred and violence

recognise truth in your eyes

and avoid your way

may every child love you and every animal

respect your freedom to live

may you feel harmony and joy in others

as a reflection of you.

all my love, good energy and luck"(Her first and last e-mail message to me)

Goodbye friend and good luck, wherever you are.

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