The 5th edition of the Arunachal Literary Festival was concluded on November 21 at Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.

Chief Guest of the occasion, Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh said that one should strive hard to promote and protect the mother tongue and its literary trend. He said that for the preservation of traditional culture and way of life, the local language plays a very crucial.    

Nawang Tsering Shakspo, Director, Centre for Research on Ladakh said that the people of Himalayan regions are fortunate that in every region the foundation of the mother tongue is Tibetan and we address our local dialect or the mother tongue as Ladakhi and write in Tibetan scripture, similarly, I understand that the name of the mother tongue of the Tawang region in Arunachal as Monpa which is again written in Tibetan script. This is also the case with other Himalayan countries or regions where the Tibetan form of Buddhism is prevalent.

Nawang mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh, historically known as NEFA, held a familiar association for Ladakhis, dating back to the 1970s when Padmabhushan Kushok Bakula, revered as the architect of Modern Ladakh, led the people in demanding a NEFA-style administration for Ladakh. This agitation culminated after over five decades of struggle, resulting in Ladakh becoming India's 8th Union Territory in 2019.

Expanding on his speech, Nawang highlighted Ladakh's geographical position as the northernmost region in India, sharing borders with China in the east and Pakistan in the north. He drew parallels between Arunachal and Ladakh, stressing their shared sensitivity due to border tensions with neighboring countries. He underscored the commonalities in the hopes, aspirations, and concerns of the residents in both states, given the geopolitical challenges they face.

Earlier Nawang presented a copy of his book, ‘A Cultural History of Ladakh’ to Pema Khandu.