Northeast Desk, 25th February: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lauded the extraordinary initiative of Banwang Losu, a dedicated teacher hailing from Tirap district in Arunachal Pradesh. Losu’s relentless endeavors in conserving the Wancho language, a cultural gem of the region, have garnered acclaim from top government officials, including Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
In his address during ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister praised Banwang Losu for his significant role in safeguarding and promoting the Wancho language. This indigenous language, spoken in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and parts of Assam, had been confronting the threat of extinction owing to diminishing usage and the absence of a written script.
Raised amidst the culturally vibrant Himalayan terrain, Banwang Losu developed a profound attachment to his tribal heritage from an early age. Troubled by the gradual erosion of his community’s linguistic identity, Losu embarked on a mission to rejuvenate the Wancho language.
Losu’s journey commenced in 2001 when, as a class-11 student, he recognized the absence of a written script for the Wancho language. Driven to bridge this gap, he initiated the development of a script, initially experimenting with Roman numerals and the Devanagari script. Surmounting linguistic hurdles and phonetic complexities, Losu meticulously fashioned a new script tailored to Wancho’s distinctive tones and phonetics.
After years of unwavering dedication and scholarly pursuit, Banwang Losu successfully formulated a 44-letter alphabet, comprising 15 vowels and 29 consonants, capable of forming over 3,000 words. His groundbreaking endeavor culminated in the approval of the Wancho script’s Unicode application in 2019, facilitating its global utilization on the internet.
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