NAMSAI, Aug 16: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein launched the first ever Tai Khamti Heritage Archive website and released the book ‘LikLoka Ping-Nyep’, marking an important milestone in the collective efforts to preserve and strengthen the community's rich cultural and literary heritage.
The manuscripts documentation & digitization has been conducted by the Tai Khamti Manuscripts Documentation Committee (TKMDC), in collaboration with the Nanda Talukdar Foundation under the aegis of the Tai Khamti Heritage & Literature Society (TKHLS).
Speaking on the occasion, Mein said the initiative was not merely a digital intervention but an important step towards preserving the language, literature, manuscripts, traditional knowledge and collective memory of the Tai Khamti people for generations to come.
He highlighted that the Tai Khamti community possesses a rich manuscript covering Buddhist philosophy, history, folklore, traditional medicine, customary laws, language, literature and indigenous knowledge systems. These manuscripts, he said, are living records of the wisdom and intellectual heritage of the ancestors and require systematic preservation.
Under Phase-I, 471 rare Tai Khamti manuscripts comprising 28,264 pages have been digitally preserved. The digital archive will enable scholars, researchers, students and community members to access, study, catalogue, transcribe and translate these valuable texts, while also opening new avenues of research in Tai Khamti history, language, Buddhism, traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge.
The Dy CM also underlined the importance of preserving the Tai Khamti language and script. He informed that the traditional script has been modified into a tonal script and 37 Tai Khamti teachers have been appointed to teach Tai Khamti as a third language in schools from Class I onwards. In addition, 118 educated youths have received vocational training in the Tai Khamti script and Pali language and will be engaged to teach these languages in Viharas, monasteries and private schools.
He appealed to the revered Bhikkhu Sanghas to make Viharas centres of learning for the Tai Khamti language and script alongside spiritual and monastic education. He urged families to encourage at least one child to attend classes in Viharas to learn the community’s language and tonal script, stressing that such efforts are essential to protect the age-old literature and language from extinction.
He further informed that an audio recording studio has been established at the Centre for Tai Khamti Language & Folk Culture at Chongkham, where work has commenced to record chants, oral traditions and spoken language.
Emphasising community participation, he said that while the government can facilitate and support such initiatives, communities must lead the preservation of their own heritage.
Mein appreciated Mrinal Talukdar and his dedicated team from the Nanda Talukdar Foundation for their commitment and painstaking work in conceptualizing the project, developing its technical framework and undertaking field documentation.
Mein expressed hope that the Tai Khamti Heritage Digitisation Project would emerge as a model for community-led heritage preservation across Arunachal Pradesh and the country, demonstrating how technology can be used to preserve and strengthen connections with one’s roots.
“We are not simply preserving old manuscripts. We are carrying the wisdom of our ancestors into the future,” he said.
On the occasion, he also felicitated the members of Tai Khamti Heritage & Literature Society, resources persons, revered monks, scholars, and contributors for their contribution towards preserving the rich heritage of the Tai Khamti community.
Local MLA Zingnu Namchoom, ex-MLA Pinthika Namchoom, Commissioner Tax & Excise C R Khampa, DC Lobsang Tsering, monks and community elders were also present on the occasion. (DY CM’s media cell)