By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Dec 9: The government of India has agreed to officially recognised “Bhoti” and Urdu as official languages of the Union Territory of Ladakh. This decision followed discussions between Ladakhi leaders and Indian government representatives at the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi on December 3, according to the Kashmir Observer.
Bhoti, which experts say is essentially the Tibetan language (Bodyig), is used across the Trans-Himalayan region. Dialectic variants such as Ladakhi, Spiti, and Lahauil are spoken in regions in the Himalaya belt including Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of West Bengal.
The use of the term “Bhoti” for the Tibetan language has sparked debates in Ladakh in the past. Dr. Thupten Rigzin, a Ladhaki scholar on Bhoti Language Day in April told Radio Free Asia, “In older days, we used to say we were learning Bodyig, (Tibetan) not Bhoti. Some people seem unaware of the history, and some deliberately create confusion. The Tibetan race forms the foundation of all Himalayan regions. It’s vital for Ladakhis to understand Bhoti’s origins and historical importance.”
Groups like the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust in Kargil have questioned the historical basis for the labelling. In a statement, the group asserted, “The so-called ‘Bhoti’ script is essentially the Tibetan script. The term has no historical or socio-cultural relevance to the languages spoken in Ladakh.”
The Tibetan script, Bodyig, was developed in the 7th century when the 33rd Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo sent Thumi Sambhota and other scholars to India. After studying Indian scripts, including Devanagari, Thumi Sambhota created the Tibetan script and grammar. This script facilitated the translation of Buddhist texts in Sanskrit and Pali from India into Tibetan, supporting the spread of Buddhism in Tibet first and later in to regions like Ladakh and the Trans-Himalayan areas.
Some observers including Tibetans have noted that using the term “Bhoti” instead of Bodyig undermines the recognition of Tibetan language and that such labelling of the Tibetan language are done for political and other benefits.
One Response
China is making every attempt to eliminate Tibetan Written language in Tibet. The schools of Tibetan culture were forcibly close down since Xi Jinping came into power. If the language has to be preserved then the term Bhoti or Bodyig makes no difference. It will not undermine recognition of Tibetan language. If you refer India with her different names such as Bharat, India, Gyakar and Hindustan, they still preserve the identity of India. Hence, the terms are not important rather than protection and preservation of language.