The University of Calcutta has partnered with Darjeeling Government College for the protection and promotion of the Lepcha language through literary translation, particularly targeting texts that reflect the intellectual, cultural, and historical legacy of the indigenous community in the hills of Bengal and Sikkim.

Experts associated with the project noted that Lepcha literature embodies deep intellectual and philosophical traditions rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, while also chronicling India’s colonial encounters and the oral histories of indigenous people in the eastern Himalayan region, including parts of Nepal and Bhutan.

M.A. students and research scholars from the university’s Department of Comparative Indian Language and Literature participated in a workshop last week at Darjeeling Government College. Titled Mountain Melodies: Translating Lepcha Texts, the workshop marked the first in a proposed series and sought to introduce the language and its cultural world to audiences beyond the Himalayan belt.

“Darjeeling is a multilingual, multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan literary site, and one should look at it beyond travel, tourism and tea. There should be a space for acknowledging its identity, culture and speeches of various ethnic communities living there. Darjeeling is originally the land of the Lepcha people and the word ‘Darjeeling’ also comes from the Lepcha language,” said Mrinmoy Pramanick, who represented the university at the workshop.

“The objective of this workshop was to document indigenous knowledge and culture for those who do not have access to the Lepcha language. It will also enrich the Indian Knowledge System. And collaboration between the University of Calcutta and Darjeeling Government College is actually an initiation of dialogue between two different geographical intellectual areas,” added Dr. Pramanick, a Sahitya Akademi Award recipient.

The Department of Comparative Indian Language and Literature, under Dr. Pramanick’s leadership, has also undertaken work to document and preserve other endangered languages, including Toto, Sadri, and Lodha. As part of the Darjeeling workshop, participants began translating into English a Lepcha play titled Thongon Kat Dahan, authored by Yeuel Simickmoo.

The event was coordinated by Dr. Pramanick and Rippandi Lepcha, Assistant Professor of English at Darjeeling Government College, and was attended by scholars including Dr. Kachyo Lepcha, a government textbook officer from Sikkim.

“Darjeeling is a melting pot of several cultures — Lepcha, Limbu, Rai, Tamang, to name only a few. The workshop discussed the necessity of translating their literatures to expand the horizon of Indian Literature. Translation gives the opportunity to different cultures to mutually understand each other, an imperative in the intolerant times that the world as a whole is passing through,” said Partho Gangopadhyay, Head of the Department of English at Darjeeling Government College.

“The workshop also recognised the onslaught of globalisation and consumerism that is constantly pressurising small linguistic communities towards homogenisation and mainstreaming. The other challenge that faces these communities is that much of their literature is still preserved only in oral tradition. Unless urgent efforts are made to record, archive and translate the literatures of these endangered linguistic communities, there is a high possibility that these literatures will be lost forever,” Dr. Gangopadhyay added.

“Participants engaged in hands-on activities, including translation exercises and an interactive session. They gained practical experience in translation techniques and developed a deeper understanding of linguistic nuances,” Ms. Lepcha said.