“Luangdilat Khuang”, a common language wordbook of the Zeliangrong community, was officially launched by Peren Deputy Commissioner Hiazu Meru on 1st April 2025 at Jubilee Hall, St. Xavier Church, Jalukie Town, marking a significant milestone in the linguistic and cultural preservation of the Zeliangrong community. The wordbook, meticulously prepared by a seven-member Luangdilat Language Commission, comprises 4,000 words and is aimed at fostering linguistic unity among the Zeliangrong people, a press release stated.
The “Luangdilat Khuang” is a Luangdilat-English dictionary and a key component of an ambitious initiative spearheaded by the Luangdimai Citizens Forum (LCF). This project seeks to establish Luangdilat as a lingua franca by integrating elements from the four Luangdilat variants, ensuring both linguistic integrity and mutual comprehensibility.
Speaking as the special guest at the event, DC Peren Hiazu Meru commended the LCF for its historic endeavor. He highlighted the significance of language as a fundamental pillar of social interaction, cultural transmission, and self-expression and remarked, “Language is a medium that unites society, promotes understanding, and allows us to express ourselves authentically.”
Meru also touched on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, emphasizing both its importance in preserving indigenous languages and its unintended consequences of creating divisions among various tribes. He stressed the need for unity among the Zeliangrong people, who are administratively spread across Nagaland, Manipur, and Assam. He also urged the community to strengthen their emotional ties to foster greater solidarity.
The DC further emphasized the importance of road connectivity as a crucial factor in regional development and integration. Despite Peren district’s agricultural potential, he pointed out that economic and educational challenges persist. He urged the community to prioritize education, as strengthening the village economy would ultimately lead to an improved quality of life.
In his keynote address, Dai Remmei, Additional Central PF Commissioner, Government of India, and member of the LCF Elders Board, described the launch as a living testament to the rich Zeliangrong heritage. He emphasized that the project was a result of relentless determination and collective efforts. He further revealed that future editions of the wordbook would include conversational speech and grammar, making it a valuable resource for schools.
Remmei acknowledged the painstaking efforts of the seven-member Language Commission, which took four years to compile the wordbook. He stressed the necessity of a common language to enable communication within the community without reliance on foreign languages in the future. Reflecting on their shared history, he urged the people to embrace unity and look forward rather than dwell on past divisions.
Director at the Ministry of Defence and Vice Chairman of the Luangdilat Commission, Aaron Pamei, also addressed the gathering, expressing his aspiration to communicate in Luangdilat in the future. He acknowledged that while the wordbook might not be perfect, it laid a strong foundation for the coming generations. Pamei also shared the challenges faced in compiling the wordbook, which required over 6,000 hours of dedicated effort.
He encouraged the community to commit to learning and using Luangdilat, suggesting that Jalukie, with its diverse population, could serve as a potential hub for linguistic and cultural integration.
Several prominent figures, including All Zeliangrong Students’ Union (Assam, Manipur, Nagaland) vice president Edward Nring; Zeliangrong Baudi (AMN) president K Akhang; and author, poet, and Associate Professor at the University of Delhi, Dr. Achingliu Kamei, also spoke at the event. They lauded the initiative and expressed hope that it would strengthen cultural identity and unity among the Zeliangrong people.
