Agartala: Jan 19: January 19 marked the celebration of the 47th Kokborok Day in Tripura with a grand procession held in Agartala. The procession began from in front of Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan and was attended by prominent leaders, including the state’s Minister of Agriculture and Power, Ratan Lal Nath, MLA Rampada Jamatia, former MLA Atul Debbarma, and others. The day was celebrated with great enthusiasm to honor the Kokborok language and its cultural significance.
Minister Ratan Lal Nath, in his address, congratulated the people of the Kokborok-speaking community and the Tribal Welfare Department for their dedication to preserving the language. He emphasized that the loss of a mother tongue is akin to the loss of a society itself, as language is an essential tool for self-expression. He echoed the Prime Minister’s call for people to value and promote their mother tongues, likening it to the irreplaceable nature of a mother’s milk.
The Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to promote Kokborok at various levels. Special focus has been given to the language from primary education to university levels. A dedicated Kokborok department has been established in the university, where students can now pursue a PhD in the language. Additionally, the government has initiated recruitment of 22 Kokborok language professors and introduced Kokborok in judicial services and for PGT teacher recruitment exams. Kokborok has been implemented in 1,296 schools, with over 12,000 students currently studying it.
However, Minister Nath also raised concerns about the neglect of the language in past years, citing the near extinction of the pachara (a traditional cultural practice). The government is taking steps to preserve this cultural heritage. The procession, which witnessed enthusiastic participation from students across schools and colleges, traversed several city roads, marking the importance of Kokborok in Tripura’s identity and the ongoing efforts to promote it.
