A delegation led by former MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal met Ladakh chief secretary Ashish Kundra on Wednesday and submitted a joint resolution-cum-memorandum seeking the preservation, promotion and institutional development of Bhoti language and literature. The delegation also raised issues related to mother tongue and language options in the ongoing Census process.The memorandum sought several measures to strengthen Bhoti language education and its institutional ecosystem, including the creation and filling of adequate Bhoti TGT and PGT posts in schools, strengthening the Ladakh Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages and filling vacant posts, and setting up a UT-level Bhoti Language Development Board or Authority. It also called for a comprehensive Ladakh language policy in line with the objectives of NEP 2020 and regional branches of the Ladakh Academy under the LAHDCs.The resolution was unanimously adopted following deliberations at a two-day national seminar on “The History of the Bhoti Language and its Role in the Preservation and Promotion of Himalayan Buddhist Culture” held at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Leh.
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The delegation included representatives from academic, cultural and social organisations, including Dr Sonam Wangchuk of the Ladakh Cultural Forum, Dr Urgen Dadul of the Ladakh Buddhist Association and Dr Sonam Paldan of the Culture and Language Welfare Society.During the meeting, the delegation said Bhoti was not only a language of communication but also an important vehicle for preserving Ladakh’s literary heritage, cultural identity and Himalayan Buddhist traditions. It urged the UT administration to adopt a long-term institutional framework for its preservation and wider use in education and public life. Kundra gave a positive response and assured the delegation that necessary steps would be taken at the earliest regarding the Census language issue.