Amidst enthusiasm and fanfare, the 43rd Kokbarok Day was celebrated across Tripura on Tuesday.
Notably, Kokbarok – the language of majority of indigenous communities of Tripura – got the official recognition of State language on January 19, 1979.
As the State people joined in celebration of the Day, greetings had poured in from Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and other eminent persons.
In a tweet, Dr Harsh Vardhan greeted the people of the State and wrote, “Greetings to the people of #Tripura on the momentous occasion of #KokborokDay, celebrating the rich & diverse cultural heritage of the State while commemorating recognition of Kokborok as an official language in 1979”.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb wrote, today is the day of our pride – Kokbarok Day. In this connection, Deb appealed to all to play a positive role in popularizing the tradition Risa in every parts of the country.
As part of Kokbarok Day celebration, the State-level programme was held in Agartala and the day started with a colourful rally. The rally was inaugurated by the State Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath.
Later, State Revenue Minister NC Debbarm inaugurated a programme and series of cultural programmes at Umakanta Academy in Agartala. The programme was jointly held by Kokbarok and other minority linguistic department and Tribal Research and Cultural Centre. Among others, Ratan Lal Nath, Janajati Welfare Minister Mebar Kumar Jamatia, chairman of Kokbarok Language Development Advisory Committee cum MLA Dr Atul Debbarma.
Speaking on the occasion, NC Debbarma explained the significance and historical implications of recognizing Kokbarok as State language 43 years ago. He said, “The language has enriched and flourished over the years after prolonged efforts. Kokbarok language has made considerable improvement in literary works”.
Debbarma, however, mentioned Kokbarok and Bengali languages are complementary to each other. Mutual understanding and interactions between these two languages would help to enrich Kokbarok. The revenue Minister also pointed out that incumbent Government had taken steps for development of Kokbarok and languages of other communities of the State.
Ratan Lal Nath urged non-Kokbarok speaking people to learn Kokbarok and said, around eight lakhs people in Tripura speak Kokbarok. Moreover, several Bengali speaking people also can speak Kokbarok.
The Minister also said that Kokbarok language had been included in TET examination along with Bengali and English during BJP-IPFT regime.
Lauding the present Government’s role in developing the Kokbarok language, Janajati Welfare Minister Mebar Kumar Jamatia appealed to people to step forward with a sense of brotherhood for development of Kokbarok language.
In today’s programme, four books written in Kokbarok and two magazines were unveiled and published.
