Manik Saha on Saturday said an indigenous script should be developed for Kokborok, the language spoken by Tripura’s tribal communities, while clarifying that the government has not issued any directive banning the Roman script.
Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said he was not opposed to English but questioned the use of a foreign script for an indigenous language. “I am not against English. I read English. But for an indigenous language, why should Roman script be used — that is the question,” he remarked.
Saha noted that Kokborok was earlier written in the Bengali script and that Indian-origin scripts such as Devanagari had also been proposed. However, those suggestions were not accepted. He said any suitable Indian-origin script could be considered if it serves the language effectively.
The Chief Minister added that the state has linguistic experts well-versed in Kokborok who can develop a script rooted in Indian tradition and appropriate for the language. He urged people not to be swayed by the ongoing debate and to think about future generations. “Society must feel proud of its script and language,” he said.
Clarifying the government’s stand, Saha said the status quo is being maintained under the Tripura Board of Secondary Education, and students are free to write examinations in Roman script if they wish. He claimed that only a small section of students opt for it.
He further stated that he had written to the Central Board of Secondary Education seeking permission to allow the Roman script, adding that the final decision rests with the board.
His remarks came amid protests in Agartala, where students formed a peaceful human chain demanding official recognition of the Roman script for Kokborok.
