The Himalayan Budhist Cultural Association (HBCA) called a press conference on ‘Inclusion of Bhoti Language in the 8th Schedule of Indian Constitution and opening of Kailash Yatra route via Demjok’ on November 06 at Leh.

Speaking on the occasion, Tashi Targias Ldimbir, President HBCA said that since the formation of Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association in the last 24 years, they have always struggled for recognition of Bhoti language in the 8th Schedule. They condemned the Indian government for discriminating Ladakh region by not opening the Kailash route via Ladakh and for not including Bhoti in the 8th Schedule. “We had very high hope from PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Leh. But we feel cheated that Modi did not mention even a single word regarding Bhoti language and Kailash route.” He strongly appealed all the concerned authorities and ministers to kindly work in this regard.

Sheikh Mohd Javed Zubdavi said that Kashmiri language has no script and yet it has been included in the 8th schedule, whereas people residing in the Himalayan range speak Bhoti language and has a script too, even then it has not been recognised. “It is obligatory on part of the government to focus on the needs and demands of the border regions as we are the true guardians of Indian borders. All this is due to lack of proper representation and demand by our concerned Ministers”, he added.
Tsewang Dorje, Assistant Director HBCA mentioned that before 1962 people from Ladakh used to visit Kailash without any restriction but it was only after clash with China that this route was closed.

Reading out the argument in favour of the demand for recognition of Bhoti language in the 8th Schedule, Tsewang Dorje said that Bhoti is the mother tongue of more than a million people living in the Himalayas right from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. The choice of the term ‘Bhoti’ over ‘Tibetan’ is a conscious strategy adopted by the leaders of the movement belonging to diverse tribes to affirm their status as a part and parcel of the Indian identity.

In the year 2008, the Central Institute of Indian languages (CIIL), Mysore conducted a survey on Bhoti across hill states and submitted its report to government of India with strong recommendation to recognise Bhoti as the language of the Himalayan people.

Bhoti is of Indian origin, for it contains two sounds ‘Bh’ and ‘T’ (which are absent from all forms of Tibetan speech). The root word Bhot is was used in Sanskrit to refer to Bhot desh (modern Tibet). Out of Tibetan Burman language family, Manipuri- a non tribal member of the lot, and Bodo-a tribal language, were added in the 8th Schedule. However Bhoti. The most deserving case has not been included yet.

In the study report of CIIL, it is recommended that the decision makers should also not ignore the co sequences of non recognition, for these communities on the periphery occupy a most sensitive political belt and fear marginalisation, and language is the greatest symbolic force to assert their collective presence.
 
Some of the points that the scholars raised were, Bhoti is a language with a long literary tradition and a most valued script of Indian origin; Bhoti is the store house of a vast body of literature, with some highly valued translation of Sanskrit text that were lost/ destroyed over centuries but are preserved in the Bhoti version; Bhoti is the symbol of unity in diversity, and performs the role of the lingua franca of communities concerned throughout the Himalayas; it would be a fitting tribute to our ancestors and the wisdom of India that laboured with the ingenuity of Tibetan scholars for centuries to commence a partnership of universal values and translation of a culture in Bhoti.
 
The members of Himalayan Budhist Cultural Association also submitted a copy of the survey conducted by Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) recommendation for recognition and inclusion of Bhoti in the 8th Schedule.