Anu sí:sangé Mising agom pu:po-jarpomonam légangé agerrém gerpénammé:Prof Nahendra Pa:dun

Prof Nahendra Padun arriving outside the venue at Pasighat on Donyi Polo Yelam Kebang's silver jubilee celebration. Photo:Bhaskar Pegu

Professor Nahendra Pa:dun mé gíné December 3 ,2011  Pasighat lok ba:nam Do:nyi Po:lo Yélam Kébang(DPYK) do ngolu ríksutagai.Arunachal Pradesh lok Pasighat do DPYK lokké Golgi Botté Talom Rukbo mé mé:pala  Do:nyi Po:lo yélam la:lenbokunam légalok murko bírík dínam ko loumné ager tarung ki bangka.Prof Pa:dun mé odo méngésunam mibo pé gogtagai. Odo longído ngolu bík lédulo luposunamko ika,bík ager bojeko ka:ko ayirrído.Prof Pa:dun bí Mising  tanyi agom éla dírbí lok méngésunam amiko,bím ngolu anupé kangkinsubipénam kamang.Prof Tabu Taid binnyik igurki lékopé 1972 do Dí:sangmukh,Sibsagar,Assam do Mising Agom Kébang(MAK) dém ba:lenar po:né.Bí Mising agom éla dírbí  lok bojéko pogo-potiném attak Mising gomlabém bulum lutéla.Ngolu bím íyíng angngo minutes karam kopé luposuto.Ngolu kéígbo Prof Pa:dun ki luposunamdém lenmotakku. [We met Professor Nahendra Padun on  December 3,2011 last at Pasighat in  Donyi Polo Yelam Kébang(DPYK) meet.The DPYK  celebrated its silver jubilee year commemorating revival of Donyi Polo faith by religious guru Talom Rukbo with three days programmes at Pasighat of Arunachal Pradesh.Prof Padun was invited as an honourable guest at this celebration.We had an interview with Prof Padun on the same day in between his busy schedules.Prof Padun is a highly revered person of Mising people’s language and culture,we don’t need a new introduction for him at length.Along with Prof Tabu Taid ,he went to organized the first ever Mising Agom Kébang(MAK) meet at Disangmukh,Sibsagar,Assam in 1972.He has written several articles and books on Mising language and culture.We spoke to him for  almost fifty minutes.We publish here below an excerpts from our talks with Prof Padun.]

Bhaskar Pe:gu:1972 dítag dokké Mising Agom Kébang(MAK) dém Prof Tabu Ta:íd nonyi ba:len dokké silo pé Mising agom élang gomlab ém angunamém éddiko kapé ka:beg dun?[What are the changes you see in Mising language and  literature today since the formation of Mising Agom Kebang in 1972 by you and Prof Tabu Taid ?]

Prof Nahendra Pa:dun:Agom dokké gomlabé ajjoko gísadung émdaggom bojeko gerpénam du:da.Adné-pa:né ami lokké ‘devotion’ kamang.Siloké sí:sang ko-ko:néngé Mising agom légang okoi ko gerpé émnam kamang,opín légang ang(nationalism) kamang-ngo Misi sém ipérung émnam kamana.Longko Brighumoni Kagyung,Chandra Kanta Lachon bulu sikang,kapila Misingong gídun,bulum bottamonédé ngollung ai-Bhupen Hazarika ké sido dém abako amme lendung-édémípé ngolu ‘national figure’ ko kapila lenmola:man?Nolu supak Nahendra Padun mé Agom Kébang do gídung émna kangkindung émpigel Nahendra Padun bí okkom gerdun édém kinmang.Nahendra Padun ké éddiko potiné dun émna tadmílo Mising koué sékosin lulama:yé.Mipag kokangé ngokkolo gíadag ‘research ‘ ikolo,ngolukké kamang.Sémpiné mé:lod(attitude) gébomla ngoluk agomsé éddíko mé:dagji odokíddar ko ‘(develop’) talép gímang.Ngolukké do:ying,mé:tom ajjokodaggom  adnam lendung, édébulu éddiko ‘standard’ dun édém gom mé:pípa:yé.Édémbulum kangkinpé,kinpé-lupé ngolukké regular pé lusar potin,lutad ébulu kama tomílo,sémpin agerkídísém supak ké sí:sa:né young generationé(ajjiné/anu sí:sang) gerpa:yé.Ngo aipé opanna du:daggom ,lekom salary kamala dudaggom ‘Lutad’( a newspaper) dém akkéng(6) dítag ko:pé atéronggé la:lento.Édémpiné (courage)ang pítan amié kapila gílenman?[There are lots of things to work although the language and literature has slightly developed.There is a lack of  devotion on the part of the writers.Today’s growing youths doesn’t sense to work for Mising language,there is an absence of nationalism-there is no willingness(by youths) that I’ll really work for the Misings. Few days ago ,people like Bhrigumoni Kagyung,Chandra Kanta Lachan passed away,why only Mising people came out?We were the one who  made them grew as big personalities,recently when Bhupen Hazarika died, numbers of people turned out,why can’t we make a national figure of our own in this way?Now,you know Nahendra Padun because he goes with literary body but  you are ignorance of what he has worked.No Mising youth can tell how many books has Nahendra Padun written so far.There are youths other than Mising who come to me for research but not Mising youth.Due to these attitudes the language hasn’t developed as we have expected.There are stories,poems in the language now a days  but we must also think of the standard of these writings.To identify these things,we must have regular newspapers,magazines but unfortunately we don’t have even that;these tasks should be carried out by the new generation.Although I was financially poor, sometimes even without salary,I run the ‘Lutad’ newspaper for six years alone.Whyn't persons with this sort of courage come forward?]

Bhaskar Pe:gu:Mising agomsém 1986 do:bo class appi (four) do:pé  porila:dopé lenmoto  odokké supak lo:pé bottapé gerlanammém(major step) ka:begmang MAK lokkém.Ngoluk agomlok porinam medium pé mangar gom subject akko péi post-graduate level do:pé porila do:pé pagmane? Kekonpésin pobuk lok porainé kídarém ager murko (remuneration) binam élang Mising potin(textbook) pa:pé  ngasod nam ka:begdag.[The Mising language was introduced back in 1986 upto class four but we haven’t observed any major step on the part of MAK from that onwards.Can’t we make our language at least a subject to study upto post-graduate level if not as medium of instruction?On the other side,there are problems of remunerations among appointed Mising language teachers as well as availability of  Mising textbooks.]

Prof Nahendra Padun:Sé:sin ilíma:nam kokki pak idak.Po:pé ké lunamídémpé idag.Agom Kébang lok du:né kídaré ainé kungke légangé rotker mínsuma:pé, intellectual depthness ka:mapé kéba doi du:pé lagimang abu,nébíng pé.Bulu kinmílomín gísabolayen,ngoluk gerdo lédu dokké gerténgí do tolopesin mang-bolopesin mang dupakkang.Addung do:ying-do:mo,gomsar,mé:tomém;ngolu odo dítagdo potiném lenmoyé émna ‘scheme’ko la:pa:yé.Class Kíníd(Seven) lo:pé lenmonam agomém po:pé bo rutungngai , émpigel silo pé lenmolato mang.Agom Kébangé seminar,workshop atí ko ba:la aiyo:pé lenmopénamé.Migomé(government) lumadapébong ngolu potiném lenna (ready) dumopénamé.Ngolu agí lenna dagmomílomín migomém jé:la yen.Yampo migomé torík sumílo, po:tin dé ka:mapé ngolu íngkodém iyen?Class Kíníd do:pé du:mílo poraila:né ko:sin lagidag.Ngoluk Mising porainé takamdém Mising dungko:lo bido, émpige:la kapidagné  dítag ako-annyi ko igela ‘‘general (émmum)post’’ lo:pé la:son sudakku.Class poraima:pé dugpagdakku,responsibility émnamdé kamang.Ngolu dekko lutag émpigel ‘’follow-up” mang.[This happens because of lack of enthusiasm.It is just like what was said earlier.The people in the Agom Kébang should not scuffle for chairs;without intellectual depthness one shouldn’t be in the Kébang’s seats of president and secretary.If they are intellect,only then there would be a step forward;it remained stagnant at the same point after we left.There are writings of stories-tales,essays,poems;we must take up a scheme that we’ll make it appear in a particular year.It was chalked out to introduced upto class seven but it didn’t happened till to-day.The literary association should vibrantly organize seminar,workshop etc. to let things appear.Before government asked for textbooks,we should make it ready.If  we get prepared ourselves beforehand ,only then we can shout to the government.If the government agrees tomorrow,what can we do without the books?If there is upto class seven,we need able teachers too.All Mising(language) teachers are appointed in Mising inhabited areas,but what actually happened is that after working for one-two years they convert into general posts.Without teaching classes,they run away;there is nothing called ‘responsibility’.We have said several times but there is no follow-up.]

Bhaskar Pe:gu:Ka:yemílo silo-mélo ngoluk Mising Tani agom sém luné ka:mapé ibomdung.Odokkésin lujar-néta lujar lo du:né ami élang ommangé lumang.Ngolu íngkom ilayen ngasodsém  bulum motumnam légangé?[It is observed that our Mising Tani language speakers is decreasing now a days.Furthermore,the children and men of the cities -towns dwellers doesn’t speak the language.What can we contemplate to discourage these problems?]

Prof Nahendra Pa:dun:Tani agomo:so kéígbomdung émnam mang,sé mo:pí sok dek agoméi ngasod a:dung.Sé:sin ngoluk agíké opín aipé mé:ma:la.Ngolu Boro kídísémpé kapil ilaman?1983-84 do Boro agom mimag mododém Pronoy Mushahary bí Judge’s Field,Guwahati do kébang kolo Bangla agompé luka.Bulu Boro agomongém silo kolokké luyé émndanna pesuka.Silo kolokké ngolu Mising agomsém  ludanpé émnamko ka:mana.1971 do TSJ Sun bí ngo ‘refer’ la Tani agom lok ‘research’ ika,Milang agomdém bojé ko lunné kamang, émpigel bulu simosin mang,ammem sin kinmomang,supak lo:pé turra dung.Odogíng silo America lok researcher é la:len dung, Milang dé ‘endangered’ né agomé émna lendung.Ngolu rígsu douwém éddíko Misingpé luka mínsudan?Asomiya agomém mé:nyip lagimang, émpidaggom ngoluk agom sok do:ying ko kíkol gí:do do agíké agomém lupénammé.Ngoluk tanyié rígsuyémíl agíké agomémsin lumang,mipagdémsin kabodo:pé lumang.Agíké agomém agíé moke: sudung.’’Ngolu Misingo:pé lulai’’ émna orípé mé:su pé nammé. [It is not that only the Tani languages are decreasing,there are several languages  ailing in this  world.This is also because we have no affection towards our community.Why can’t we do like the Bodos?In 1983-84,during  the times of Bodo language movement in a meeting at Judges’ Field,Guwahati, Pronoy Mushahary spoke in Bangla language.They took oath to speak only in Bodo language from that day onwards.We don’t have such thing  that we’ll speak the Mising language from today onwards.In 1971,TSJ Sun did his research on Tani language to whom I referred to.There are not many speakers of Milang language but neither they let it to die down nor they let it others to know,it is alive hitherto.From these,the American researchers have found that Milang is an endangered language today.How much do we speak Mising language when we meet?We shouldn’t dislike Assamese language but even then when we go on talking on our language we should speak in our own.When our people meet,our people doesn’t speak own tongue;neither they speak correct non-Mising language.We are killing our own language.We must deeply ponder ourselves,”Let’s speak only Mising language”.]

Bhaskar Pe:gu:Édé Sir silo-mélo ludung kuje Tani agom sém “common lingua franca’’ pé ipé lagidag.Tani agomkídarsém supak angudanpé North Assam branch émmapé Tani language ope: émna sium-síro agom lok kinjo-kinlapné amme ludungku.Odokkésin Australia lok James Cook University lok researcher Mark Post bí Tani agom takam sém Eastern éla Western branch émna topansudung.Supak, Tani agom lok luték la ngoluk Mising éla Adi agomé akamodag émna degéi kindung.Sém sable, ngolu Tani agom lok lingua franca ko lenmolamayene lédupédaggom? Adi élang Misingé lékopé ager germílo agom  sém mirém rémmo dokké pu:po-jarpo molaye émna no mé:dagne?[Sir,it is said ,now a days, that Tani languages should have a “common lingua franca” .The Tani languages have been recognized as Tani Language instead of North Assam branch by linguistic experts now a days.It is also seen that Mark Post,a James Cook University researcher of Australia have classified the Tani languages into Eastern and Western branches.Now,in reference to Tani languages,many  knows Mising and Adi languages are same.Counting this,can’t we make out a lingua franca of Tani languages in the future?Do you think that if the Mising and Adi languages work together,we can lead to greater development and growth of the language?]

Prof Nahendra Pa:dun:TSJ Sun bí ‘’Proto Tani Language’’(Po:pé kapé idagaji takam Tani agomsé;original form of all Tani languages) kinnam légangé agerém gerka.Sun(San) bí édém ikol gídolo Tabu Taid ké idumsunam maka dokké ngokké adnamém poka.1971 do:bo ngolu Tani agom kídar takamsé Abotani ope:yé émna luka,Tani agomé émna luka;supak démíng Tani agom émtakku,Post bísin Galo agomlok ager gerka.Supak éddíné tanyi appídém gomli dok lékoné agomko (common lingua franca) émnamdéi lumurdag,agomdé lusar sunané ko mín.Lingua franca déi séarrok émnamko.Supak no Pasighat sop gítak,Adi yé lunamém no tatkinda,bí sin Mising lunamém tadkinda. Olo Galo amiko rígsumílo, édémípé no tatkinda, éddéi bo lingua franca dé,agom tatkinka mínsunamdé. Origin vocabulary lékkoda,local variation dé du:dag.”Apin dotobon?”émmílo, édém Galo é ‘Asin’ émdo,Misingé ‘Apin’ émdag…akam né agomídém;Minyong(Adi)é Milo émyé,Misingé Milbo émyé;”Mumbur” dé néríng gompirdé, édém abír,miyum,mímbír,miyéng émna angu angu pé ludak gompir akodém.Minyong(Adi) ‘gítuai’ émyé, démíng Pagro (Mising)é ‘gíka’,Sa:yang(Mising)ésin ‘gítuai’.Roing to Adi éla Mishmié édémpé tatkinka mínsudop ludak.Nagamese dé lingua franca pé lennamdéi sémpé-bulukké(Naga) akonké mimat agom lédulo,do:lu akam(mili) mang ,édé po:pé Padmanath Gohain Baruah buluk longé kídardo kinné-kinmané dírdo:pé Asomiya agompé ludagai,lédupé aso aso pé Nagamese pé ikangku. Supaksin Nagamese é Nagaland olok assembly  agomé,takamdé English tatkinnammang. Gohain Baruah bí high school porainé ai olo,supaksin Kohima lo agom kébang(literary body) ko dag.Ngoluk Tani agomkídar-Adi,Galo,Mising,Nyishi,Tagin,Apatani-takamsé Naga kídar démyam lékoyadag.[TSJ Sun worked to get to know the ‘’Proto Tani Language’’(original form of all Tani languages).While working towards it,Sun took help from Tabu Taid as well as read works of mine.Back in 1971 itself, we said that Tani languages are from Abotani family,that the language is called  Tani language.Now,the same is recognized as Tani language.Post also worked on Galo language.Now,given  the numbers of languages/dialects (in Tani language) as well as calling a common lingua franca is misnomer.Lingua franca is an specific one.Now,you came here to Pasighat,you understand when an Adi speaks,he also understand what a Mising says.There you meet a Galo,similarly you can understand it,this is what exactly the lingua franca is,understanding each other languages.The origin vocabulary is similar,local variation exists.Utter ”Had your meal?”,the Galos says Asin,the Misings calls it Apin for the same word ‘meal’;Minyong(Adi) says Milo,Mising says Milbo for male/husband;Mumbur is the generic of abir,miyum,mímbír,miyéng where it is variedly used for same word meaning for girl/wife/female.Minyong(Adi) says ‘gítuai’,Pagro(Mising) says ‘gíka’ for the same term ‘went’;Sayang(Mising) too says ‘gítuai’.In Roing ,the Adis and the Mishmis too make conversation in understandable way.Nagamese creole developed as lingua franca in this way:There is no similarities in languages among the Naga tribes,one tribe's language is not same as the other;during the days of Padmanath Gohain Baruah ,both literates and illiterates used to interact in broken Assamese language,later gradually it became Nagamese creole.Still now,Nagamese is a language(creole) in the Nagaland assembly because the whole doesn’t understand English.Gohain Baruah was a high school teacher over there,there still exists a literary body at Kohima.All the Tani languages-Adi,Mising,Galo,Tagin,Nyishi,Apatani-have better similarities then the Nagas.]

                Adi éla Misingé lékopé germíl aí aí éi(automatically) agomsé gísayé.Édém imanamdé mín bottan agomén.Édémpé ipé émna dekko ika:la dung.[If Adis and Misings work together,the language will automatically move forward.It is not executed,this is the big word.It has been tried several times for doing that.]

Atkan Agom:Gogamukh lok Deepraj Pegu,Matmora lok Prithiraj Doley,Jonai lok Matiram Kutum dokké Panigaon lok Sodananda Doley mé bottapé ngo aséngém bidung sém gerlen nam légangé.[N.B.I am immensely thankful to Deepraj Pegu of Gogamukh,Prithiraj Doley of Matmora,Matiram Kutum of Jonai and Sodananda Doley of Panigaon for assisting me  materializing this work.]