Language rights for all is a pertinent topic for discussion in our Constituent Assembly.
As everything in Nepal is mixed with politics, language is no exception. The politicization of language in the country began noticeably after Drabya Shah was crowned the King of Gorkha by replacing the Magar King in the 16th century. Since then, the rulers of the Baise and Chaubise Rajyas (the groups of 22 and 24 states which lie in present-day-western Nepal) voluntarity and psychologically embraced the dominance of Khas culture and Nepali language under the Gorkha rule of king Prithvi Narayan Shah. It can thus be argued that the 1720s were a remarkable decade for that was when language became a contentious issue in Nepali politics. Not only the Shah dynasty but the Ranas who took over power in 1846 and made the Shah kings mere figure heads, had also given special nourishment to the Nepali language by undermining other languages. Due to such special protection given by various rules in the 18th and 19th centuries a number of major development mile stones such as standardization of literature, dictionary preparation and codification in Nepali were achieved.
A closer look at history about how the state treated the languages reveals that the treatment was driven by political will. The culture of a country is indeed judged by the way it treats and respects linguistic minorities. But our earlier experiences and practices show that we have failed to rightfully address the country's linguistic diversity. For this, the role of languages should be identified as per their function in the country rather than for the sake of governing support and political advancement. Once might consider the fact that if we impose a particular language based on political power, it will turn out to be a toxin for us. In a multilingual country like Nepal, forcing a language upon the people by the state is really a perilous issue.
As everything in Nepal is mixed with politics, language is no exception. The politicization of language in the country began noticeably after Drabya Shah was crowned the King of Gorkha by replacing the Magar King in the 16th century. Since then, the rulers of the Baise and Chaubise Rajyas (the groups of 22 and 24 states which lie in present-day-western Nepal) voluntarity and psychologically embraced the dominance of Khas culture and Nepali language under the Gorkha rule of king Prithvi Narayan Shah. It can thus be argued that the 1720s were a remarkable decade for that was when language became a contentious issue in Nepali politics. Not only the Shah dynasty but the Ranas who took over power in 1846 and made the Shah kings mere figure heads, had also given special nourishment to the Nepali language by undermining other languages. Due to such special protection given by various rules in the 18th and 19th centuries a number of major development mile stones such as standardization of literature, dictionary preparation and codification in Nepali were achieved.
A closer look at history about how the state treated the languages reveals that the treatment was driven by political will. The culture of a country is indeed judged by the way it treats and respects linguistic minorities. But our earlier experiences and practices show that we have failed to rightfully address the country's linguistic diversity. For this, the role of languages should be identified as per their function in the country rather than for the sake of governing support and political advancement. Once might consider the fact that if we impose a particular language based on political power, it will turn out to be a toxin for us. In a multilingual country like Nepal, forcing a language upon the people by the state is really a perilous issue.
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