‘8th Schedule inclusion will be game-changer for language’
Paul Lyngdoh talks about demand of Khasi books at NBT fair
Shillong, Oct 9: State Arts and Culture Minister Paul Lyngdoh said on Wednesday that once the Khasi language is included in the 8th Schedule to the Constitution, it will be a game-changer for the language.
Lyngdoh said this when it was brought to his notice that there was a demand for Khasi language books at the 2nd edition of the Shillong Book Fair.
The demand for the inclusion of the language is still pending with the Centre.
Books in the Khasi language and those authored by Khasis have seen impressive sales so far. Among them are Khasi Heritage: A Collection of Essays on Khasi Religion and Culture, Mei by Raphael Warjri, Tales of Darkness & Light by Janet Hujon, Khasi Ethics by Barnes L Mawrie, Ha Yupiam Ka Bei (On Mother’s Lap) by singer and lyricist Amabel Susngi and Notes on Walking Around Shillong by W. Allsup.
Khasi author and poet Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih’s Around the Hearth has also seen much demand even after 17 years of its launch.
Lyngdoh visited the book fair in the evening. When asked about government initiatives in popularising book fairs among the youth, the minister said it is “planning to take the mobile library scheme forward”.
“We have covered three districts but we want the reach to be more. However, it is challenging in this digital era when people’s attention span is limited. But nothing can replace the reading habit,” he added.
