Bi-lingual dictionary for Sangtam community released

KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 21: In a significant development for the Sangtam community, a bi-lingual dictionary for the tribe has been released. The local publication has been hailed as a movement forward for the Sangtam dialect. According to a local politician, literature of said nature was a requirement considering that ‘everything’ was moving fast in the modern times. The dictionary was released officially by minister for Power C Kipili Sangtam at a programme that was conducted at the DUDA guest house in Kohima town on Wednesday. Expressing happiness at the efforts of the Sangtam Literature Board (SLB) for publishing the dictionary, Sangtam said that ‘literature of this kind is a must in the present day where everything is moving fast.’ He addressed the program as a special guest. Such endeavours that aim at developing regional literature must continue, he said. Alo, the politician asserted that every individual must extend ‘full cooperation and support for the uplift of Sangtam literature.’ The minister also urged Sangtam villages to ‘respect each other’s local dialect’ to enrich the tribe’s dialect. While appreciating the Sangtam Literature Board for their time and effort in producing the bi-lingual dictionary, the minister assured ‘full cooperation and support’ toward the promotion and development of Sangtam literature. Giving a brief introduction about the dictionary, the chairman of the Sangtam Literature Board, Dr NT Meren Sangtam, said that the publication was prepared basing on instructions given by Kapfo Keditsu, from the Central Institute of Indian Languages in Mysore, who was once in-charge of ‘Language Development of North East India.’ Accordingly, he said, the Sangtam Literature Board entrusted the task to C Tsalongse and Imbumanen, former chairman of the board. They attended ‘bi-lingual dictionary making workshops’ in various places such as Mysore, Guwahati, and Dimapur. After extensive research, they could collect ‘important vocabularies including names of some flora and fauna, and developed the dictionary,’ he said. Meren Sangtam thanked the members of the editorial team for ‘painstakingly publishing the dictionary.’ He expressed optimism that the dictionary would help the community. He has sought suggestions and corrections, if any, from readers to further the content.