‘Nepali Language Week 2025 gives a strong call for daily use of Nepali language’

Darjeeling: The week-long celebrations of Nepali Language Week 2025 concluded in Darjeeling on Sunday with a strong call for the preservation and daily use of Nepali, emphasising that the language remains central to identity, culture, and future opportunities.

A solemn ceremony honouring contributors to the language movement was also held on Sunday in Darjeeling.

In his address, Anit Thapa, Chief Executive, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) stressed on the importance of reviving everyday use of Nepali.

“Our forefathers struggled to secure recognition for our language, yet today we need to issue directives asking people to use it,” he said.

He added that he has instructed GTA institutions to ensure Nepali is used on official boards and signage across the hills, noting, “Recognition of our language Nepali with its inclusion in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution, gave us identity as Indian citizens; without it, even that would have been questioned.”

This year’s Bhasha Sewa Samman Award was conferred upon veteran writer and language activist RB Rai, honoured for his lifelong commitment to the Nepali language.

In his speech, R.B. Rai called language “our life and our mother,” drawing parallels with global struggles such as Bangladesh’s language movement.

He reminded the gathering that the Nepali Bhasa Samity, had been pivotal in securing recognition, eventually achieved when Nepali was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution on August 31, 1992.

The programme also felicitated several other personalities, including the late Ratan Mothey, PB Gurung, and Minlal Sapkota.

Winners of inter-school and inter-college competitions held during the week were also awarded.

The day started with a colourful parade of language enthusiasts winding through the town.

Men and women in traditional attire danced to the lively beats of the Anumati Baja (traditional musical instruments) captivating tourists who captured the spectacle on their mobile phones.

The procession culminated at the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhawan, where the formal closing ceremony and felicitation programme were held.