AIZAWL (SHABD): Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Wednesday stressed the urgent need to increase Mizo-language content on the internet and translate Mizo literature into as many languages as possible to preserve and promote the language in the digital age.
Speaking at the release of Zawhzawzo Val, a Festschrift on the life and works of renowned Mizo scholar Prof. Laltluangliana Khiangte, along with two other books in Aizawl, the Chief Minister said Mizo literary works should be translated into English, Hindi, Bengali and other major world languages and made widely accessible online.
He said such translations would not only help showcase Mizoram and the Mizo people to a wider audience but also play a vital role in safeguarding the Mizo language for future generations.
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Lalduhoma further highlighted the importance of expanding Mizo-language content on the internet, noting that the availability of Mizo words and their English and Hindi equivalents would strengthen AI-based applications in the language and enable speakers of other languages to translate Mizo more effectively.
Referring to Mizo’s inclusion in Google Translate in 2022, the Chief Minister said the language can now be used across Google and other AI-powered language platforms, making the digital preservation and development of the language increasingly important.
The event also marked the release of Lalzika and Vanthangi, written in English by Prof. Laltluangliana Khiangte, and Teaching of Mizo Language in Secondary School, a book co-authored by Khiangte.
Mizoram University (MZU) Vice Chancellor Prof. Dibakar Chandra Deka also released Pasaltha Khuangchera—the story of the legendary Mizo warrior Khuangchera—written in Bengali.
Lalduhoma praised Prof. Khiangte as a distinguished scholar and playwright and urged him to continue producing quality literary works.
Deka said Prof. Khiangte has represented Mizoram at numerous forums across India, where few other Mizo scholars have had the opportunity to participate, and has also travelled extensively abroad.
“He has widely promoted Mizo culture, language, literature and social issues in various languages, thereby bringing honour and recognition to the Zo people,” the Vice Chancellor said.
Prof. Khiangte is a noted Mizo scholar, playwright and poet. He is currently the senior-most professor in the Department of Mizo at Mizoram University.
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He was awarded the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2006 for his contribution to literature. He is also a recipient of the Pu Buanga Award, the highest literary honour conferred by the Mizo Academy of Letters (MAL).
According to Zawhzawzo Val, 20 of Prof. Khiangte’s 40 plays have been translated into Hindi and 10 into English. Around 20 of his plays, 20 prose works and 10 poems have been included in the curricula of several universities across India, with many of them translated into various other languages.
