Reang tribe seeks recognition for its language, Tripura govt says committed to saving all languages from extinction

“Our government is committed to the development of all languages in order to prevent the extinction of any one language. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also emphasized the importance of promoting mother tongues. Former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and the current Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha are also stressing this issue to ensure that no language becomes extinct,” stated Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath in Agartala.

“The intellectuals of the Reang community submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through me, outlining their two main demands: recognition for the Kau Bru language and the declaration of a holiday on the day of the Hojagiri festival. I personally support the development of this language,” Nath added.

On March 14, 2022, the state government established an expert committee for Kaubru. The first meeting of the Kau Bru Language Expert Committee took place on May 17, 2022, under the leadership of Dr Atul Debbarma, the chairman of the Directorate of Kokborok and other Minority Languages and a former legislator.

A new expert committee on the Kau Bru language, chaired by MLA Pramod Reang, was established on September 30 of last year to evaluate the recognition of Kau Bru as a separate minority language. The committee held its first meeting on December 15 of the same year to initiate a formal proposal for recognising Kau Bru as a distinct minority language.

Last year, the state government announced that housing with basic facilities would be provided to members of the Reang community under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN).