Kohima: A one-day literary seminar based on the theme ‘to research, enhance and preserve Ao language and literary treasures’ was held on Saturday, April 26 at the Molu Ki, Kohima. Ao Students’ Union Kohima organised the programme for students beginning from class 7 to post graduate level.
ASUD literary seminar calls for regeneration of mother tongue
The focus of the seminar was to encourage the younger people to seriously learn and get adapted to speaking their mother tongue or Ao language beginning from their homes; to be acquainted with the numerous folklores and folk songs, to research and seek means to preserve the language and to bring the almost extinct language back into life.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Professor A. Lanunungsang, Pro Vice Chancellor, Nagaland University and who is also the Chairman Ao Senden Literature Board (ASLB), emphasised on teaching the children to learn, speak and write their mother tongue starting from home since early childhood. He lamented that in many homes even the parents were seen and heard communicating with their children in other languages, such as Nagamese and English, which is the root cause of children not being able to speak or write their own language. He said, English and Nagamese can be picked up gradually by the children from schools, colleges and friends around them but mother tongue can mainly be taught by parents at home. Professor Lanunungsang reminded that the first dictionary in a local Naga language was published in Ao Naga somewhere in 1911 by Dr.E.W. Clark. He said that it should be the effort of the younger generation to relive the glory of their forefathers’ effort to preserve the language and to take up serious research to conceive new words and make the language richer.
Other thematic speakers, ASLB Secretary Temjen Tzudir and Vice President ASLB Rev C. Walu Walling, also spoke on deeper research of language, means to find easier ways of teaching and attracting the children to like learning the language and to encourage book writers to promote the language.
The Seminar had a practical session of teaching and sharing language variations, folksongs and folklores by various resource persons. The practical session was followed by discussion and question hour and drafting of several resolutions, which primarily included:
1. To use only Ao for conduct of meetings and correspondence by the Ao Students Union, Kohima.
2. To impress upon parents that Mother Tongue begins at home and therefore to use only the mother tongue in their respective families.
3. To organise ‘Ao Literacy Day’ at least once in a year where workshop/seminar on Ao or competitions in poetry writing/reading, song composition/singing, etc may be held.
4. To nominate experts in the field of art and literature as advisors to the Union.
5. To collect names of persons interested to appear the proficiency tests in Ao conducted by the ASLB and initiate opening of an Exam Centre at Kohima.
6. To impress upon all concerned to amicably correct any objectionable statements made in books written in Ao and refrain from imposing heavy fines on the writers as such practices are hampering the growth of Ao literature.
