Kathmandu, October 20: In the last two years, there are four aspects that have been clearly seen in the National News Committee (RSS) – Audio Visual Service, Mother Language News Service, Media Museum and Midnight i.e. 24-hour service. It seems that the previous management had thought about the previous two services, but during general elections, earthquakes, epidemics, disasters, etc., and other important events in the country, it was widely felt that it was appropriate and necessary for a state news committee like Rasas to provide 24-hour service. Globalization as a small village, all the above mentioned services mentioned in the media of the world have now been implemented in Rss – 2022 July, 2023 December, 2024 July and 2024 August, respectively.
In the world and also in Nepal, with the expansion of new dimensions of mass media or news work or journalism, even though Rasas has been able to provide photo, audio and article news services according to the changing times, due to the time it took to adjust the technology, budget and manpower management, it was only later that it was able to provide audiovisual, native language and round-the-clock service. . The contribution of the previous management, leadership and staff, journalists, organizations active in the RSS and various eras of government and local levels, well-wishers, etc., to bring the RSS to this position is unforgettable.
Currently, Rss has been providing Nepali-English-international news, article news, opinion, photo, audio and audio visual content and Awadhi mother language news service as its services. International news in both Nepali and English languages ​​and news articles on contemporary issues are also published in Rss. From this, the image of the organization is growing among the mass media workers, academic community, news consumers, and its own dimension is also being spread.
In the last two consecutive years, two photo exhibitions (related to culture and physical development) held on the Republic Day and the Rass Media Museum, which was inaugurated on July 32, have interacted and mingled with great personalities from various aspects of national life. It is certain that the social responsibility fund that has been set up will contribute in that direction as well. The discussion that is held every six months with its clients has also helped the RAS to get good support and move forward for improvements. The state-run mass media Gorkhapatra Sansthan, Radio Nepal, Nepal Television and Rss are sensitive to the right of the people to information through various means and are active in providing various news. There is a need for some kind of language to convey the information of the state and the people’s concerns, problems and success stories on a daily and continuous basis.
Nepali language, which is the working and communication language for Nepal and Nepalese, and English, which is the international language for conveying information and news to the world, has been used in the mentioned media. After democracy or democracy or republic, the media has started giving information and news and programs in local language to support all language speakers. It is believed that all flowers should bloom in a democracy. It is good that the spirit of pluralism has been assimilated and the efforts to implement it have been started accordingly.
After the restoration of the multi-party parliamentary system, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City decided to implement a bilingual policy (Nepali and Nepali language) in 2054. However, Rajviraj Municipality and Dhanusha District Development Committee tried to use Maithili as the language of government work, but the Supreme Court ruled that ‘Nepal Citing the Constitution of the Dominion, 1990, it ruled against it. By this, the understanding that the linguistic autonomy was stifled was developed on the concerned side.
The state-owned Radio Nepal started giving news and programs in their mother tongue in 1994, Nepal Television in 2022 and ‘Gorkhapatra’ in 2007. Only after 62 years of their establishment, last year, Rss started giving news service in the seventh grade ‘Awadhi’ mother tongue with the support of Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city. . Through this effort, the RSS was able to convey an important message that it is ready to collaborate with the local level to disseminate information to the grassroots.
Also, Radio Nepal has been broadcasting news in Nepali language since 2008 and later ran news and programs through ‘Jeevan Dabu’ program, but it was shut down in 2022. So far, Radio Nepal has broadcast 24 news publications, NTV seven (planning to add four languages ​​in the current year), Gorkhapatra 44 and Rasas in three mother tongues. Rasas Awadhi language news service came only as an indication of the inclusiveness oriented character of Rss, but after the allocation of Rs. 2.4 millions.
‘Maithili’, which has a long tradition and is prosperous and according to the national census of 2021, has a long tradition as a trial since last October 15, and is one of the two (Tamang and Nepal language) recognized as working languages ​​by Bagmati province and ‘Nepal language’ which has the second most speakers in the province. The news service has already started. The ‘Rss Midnight Service’, which started last August, is basically aimed at the state and the people, while the Mother Language News Service is the institutional protection and promotion of the language spoken, written, and used by the people, and ultimately it fulfills the purpose of protecting a part of civilization and protecting the endowment of the world and respecting the right of the common people to information. It is an initiative to do.
In this context, one thing must be said, in the background where the issue of standards is sometimes raised in relation to the use of language, the RSS is serious in addressing the concerns of both language stakeholders for their standards and quality in the interactions that took place at different times. The ‘Constitution of Nepal’ enacted in the year 2015 has given the definition that all the Nepali people who are multi-racial, multilingual, multi-religious, multi-cultural, and geographically diverse as a nation as a whole, have decided to protect and promote unity, social-cultural solidarity, tolerance and harmony among these diversities. It is also clearly accepted that ‘all mother tongues spoken in Nepal are national languages’. Provision of Language Commission (Article 287) has also been made in the constitution for recommending measures to be adopted to the Government of Nepal for the protection, promotion and development of languages, study, research and monitoring of languages.
Similarly, under the fundamental rights and duties in Part 3, the right to information is provided in Article 27, in which it is mentioned that every citizen has the right to request and receive information on any matter of his own or public interest, except for matters that must be kept secret according to law. Therefore, it seems that the state-owned mass media and other related bodies must take mandatory steps for the protection and development of the mother tongue, i.e. the national language, for the protection of language and the observance of the right to information. It is estimated that there are about seven thousand languages ​​in the world. It is said that one language is dying every 14 days. In the next century, the linguistic community, which speaks its own mother tongue, will stop speaking and it is estimated that about half of the existing languages ​​will disappear when international languages ​​such as English, Chinese, Spanish etc. start speaking.
Due to the corona epidemic and the economic recession that has spread all over the world, many old and prestigious media outlets in the world have closed down, and Nepal has not been spared from it. Due to the lack of sufficient budget and limited manpower, the small investment media, which are serving the motherland by strengthening the process of national building through publishing and broadcasting in the mother tongue, have now become extinct.
If there is no proper policy and vision of the state for a long time, there is little chance of revival of those mass media organizations. We want to express our belief that this effort of Rasas will wake them up and give inspiration and enthusiasm to new communication entrepreneurs who want to open new media including their mother tongue. At present, Rasas is thinking of providing mother language news to the subscribers free of cost. If we receive a budget of at least two and a half crore rupees from the state every year, we will be able to provide news services in 20-25 mother tongues.
In the context that Rss is also providing news articles, photos, audio and audio visual content in the form of news, if a lump sum amount can be allocated to it from the government budget, mother tongue news and programs can also be conducted through a one-door system. Moreover, if financial contributions can be made from the federal, provincial and local levels by setting up a Mother Language Fund for its sustainability, we can hope for the sustainability of the Mother Language News Service.
If any language disappears once, the task of reviving it is very difficult and if it cannot be saved, the human civilization itself will be destroyed. It is well known that Bangladesh was separated from Pakistan after the movement for the Bengali language. This leads us to study the history of how much love the citizens have for their mother tongue. Many mother tongue newspapers contributed to the democratic movement of Nepal, but now they are also raising their voices in favor of democracy, democracy, promotion of the republic and good governance. The state should properly evaluate the contribution given by him.
The United Nations has declared 2022 to 2032 as the Indigenous Language Decade. Within that decade, two years have already passed. Therefore, through the Ministry of Communication, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and other related ministries, Language Commission, Press Council of Nepal, Department of Information and Broadcasting, provincial and local governments, and related agencies, Nepal should immediately bring the program for the development, promotion and protection of Adibhasha, mother tongue at the state level. In this, the activities of private sector organizations involved in activities related to mother tongue, journalists and media workers are also necessary. Here, we would like to remember the words of Siddidas Amatya, the great poet of Nepali language – “Language mwasa jati mwai” means only if the language survives, the race will also survive. As he said, in order to maintain national unity and geographical integrity and sovereignty unswervingly through the unity of all ethnic groups of Nepal, the state and all communities must show initiative from their own side to protect all mother tongues through mass media. (The writer is the Executive Chairman of the RSS)
