Laltluangliana Khiangte takes a close look at the history and development of Mizo language and literature
The original inhabitants of Mizoram are known by the generic
name Mizo. They form several major and minor tribes in the state. Mizo is a
word of the Lusei language. The Luseis seemed to have used the term ‘Mizo’
while referring to themselves and kindred tribes, who have adopted the Lusei
language discarding their own dialects. ‘Mizo’ has gained a wider meaning
through the ages.
Mizos are an important hill tribe of the Indian subcontinent.
A pioneer missionary, James Herbert Lorrain, in the introduction to his
Dictionary of the Lushai Language, wrote, “…their speech belongs to the
Assam-Burma branch of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages.” There is a quirky
story about how the traditional tribal group of Mizos lost their original
script. The script was written on an animal skin which was one day eaten up by
a stray dog, leaving the Mizos without a script that they could call their own.
However, after setting foot in what was called the Lushai Hills, missionaries
started the process of ‘Christianisation’ of the area. In 1894, the Christian
missionaries compiled what is referred to as the Mizo alphabet, using the
Hunterian system of Roman script, in line with the script used in the writings
of Lt Col. TH Lewin in the 1870s.
Although there are some minor dialects like Hmar, Lakher,
Pawi and Ralte in Mizoram, Duhlian or Mizo Tawng is the official language –
lingua franca – of the state. Many of the Mizo tribes have forgotten their
original dialects as almost all of them speak Mizo, a language that binds them
together. ‘Mizo Tawng’ was called ‘Lushai’ during the British regime, a
corrupted term of ‘Lusei’. It is sometimes referred to as ‘Duhlian’ or
‘Zotawng’ as well. According to Pastor Vanchhunga, who made a contribution to
the October 1916 issue of the popular Christian monthly magazine, Kristian
Tlangau, “...there were as many as 46 tribes that could be identified as
Lusei...and 40 dialects of the tribe have died...”
 |
| When a reader goes through any of these tales, she sees a vivid picture of what the rural Bishnupriya Manipuri life looked like and to some extent, still does |
Mizo is mainly spoken in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The
total Mizo population in 1961 was three times bigger than that in 1901. From
the figures thus projected, no less than 96% of the population wanted to be
called ‘Mizos’. As per the Imperial Gazetteer of India (1908), since 1908, 87%
of the population had spoken the Lushai dialect. It is observed that in the
course of half a century only, the Luseis who wanted to be called Mizos had dominated
the entire population, with only 4% remaining non-Mizo. The Ralte figure was
not available in 1961, which showed the total submission of the clan to Mizos
for nationhood. The process of ‘Mizoisation’ may be a welcome sign for the
integration of the different Mizo tribes.
Present status of the
Mizo language
Though the Mizoram Official Language Act 1974 was passed by
the Mizoram Legislative Assembly, it was not implemented immediately. The
so-called Mizo Language Board, formed by the Government of Mizoram, met once or
twice without much significance.
After twelve years, the government of Mizoram, following
public pressure, notified Mizo as the official language of the state on 15
August 1987. According to the Census of India 1991, 5,37,527 people speak the
Mizo language. It is the 30th most used language in India which means that
0.064% of Indians use Mizo. The Census of 2001 puts the population of Mizoram
at 8,91,058, showing a growth rate of 2.92%. Moreover, about 3,29,480 people in
neighbouring states and other parts of India speak Mizo but not as their mother
tongue. The estimated figure of Mizo speakers in India, Myanmar and Bangladesh
exceeds 26 lakhs. The Mizo language, considering the number of people who use
it, should be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The leading literary organisation in the state, Mizo Academy
of Letters, which was formed in 1964, has been taking major steps for the
development of the language, literature and culture. It brings out Thu leh Hla,
a monthly magazine which carries stories, articles, essays, poems, reports and
critical writings in the language. Since 1989, the Academy has been giving the
Book of the Year Award to the best book published in a year. About 200 books
are published in Mizo every year. In 1993-94 alone, more than 200 new books
were published, mostly by the churches, on the occasion of Gospel Centenary
Celebration. Books related to music, science and computers have also been
published recently.
Mizo in educational
institutions
The vernacular Lushai (Mizo subject) began to be taught in
1930 at the matriculation level under Calcutta University. Gauhati University
introduced Lushai at the intermediate stage in 1961 and then in its degree
course in 1962. Mizo was introduced as an elective subject at NEHU, Shillong in
1983. The hill university made Mizo part of its honours course in 1993. The
Mizoram Campus of NEHU introduced master’s degree in Mizo during the 1997-98
session. Since the birth of Mizoram University on July 2, 2001, its Mizo
department has been functioning as a full-fledged post-graduate institution.
Justice cannot be done to a description of the spurt of Mizo
literary works in recent years without a full-fledged study. Suffice it to say
that the literary award given to Rev Liangkhaia, a prolific writer, by Mizo
Academy of Letters in 1979 and Padma Shri to James Dokhuma by the President of
India in 1985 show that the doors are now open for a massive development of
Mizo literature.
Thirteen litterateurs have been honoured with Padma awards
for their contribution to Mizo language and literature. Nine writers have also
been awarded the Academy Award in literature by Mizo Academy of Letters. The
greatest impediment to the growth of Mizo literature is lack of funds for
printing of books on a large scale. Publication of a literary work, unless it
happens to be a text book or is supported by the government or church
organisations, is a losing proposition for a writer in Mizoram.
Under the Mizoram Publication Board Bill 1993, which has
been made effective during the last ten years or so, more than 200 new books
have been published with 75% assistance from the government. Mizo has now
become an important subject from primary to master’s degree level. The Mizo
Language Committee which came into existence in the last part of 2006 has been
functioning effectively for the promotion of language and literature under the
wings of Mizoram Board of School Education. Today the Mizos have a good number
of poems, plays, essays, novels,articles, critical reviews and other prose
works which can be translated into different languages of the world and
circulated outside the state of Mizoram.
As the Mizo language is the lingua franca and official
language of the state of Mizoram, due recognition should be given to it by the
leading literary organisations as well as the government of India. It is high
time that the government included Mizo in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian
Constitution.
No comments:
Post a Comment