To mark Mother Tongue Language Day, ‘Pinda - A Compilation of Kusunda Literature’, written by Kusunda Language students, was launched in a function organised at the Kathmandu Marriott Hotel on Friday. The event’s chief guest was Badri Pandey, Nepal’s Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.

The collection features creative writings by five students trained in the Kusunda language led by researcher Uday Raj Aaley.

The students are Hima Kusunda (22), Nirmala Kusunda (17), Anita Nepali (16), Asmita Nepali (17) and Khamba Rokaya (30).

During the event, Pandey said, “There is only one person, Kamala Sen, who speaks the Kusunda language. It is our responsibility to preserve this language. If this is preserved, it will save our history, culture, wisdom and civilisation.”

The book is divided into five sections: Kusunda way of life, a children’s story, an essay, a letter to loved ones, and a conversation. To ensure broader accessibility, all the writings in this collection have been translated into Nepali. The book launch was followed by a panel discussion session titled ‘Exploring diverse strategies for indigenous language preservation and reflecting on the key lessons gained along the way’.

The panellists were Lava Deo Awasthi, chairman of the Language Commission; Rustom Mody, country director of British Council Nepal; Nitu Dangol, a Nepal Bhasa instructor; Kamala Pandey, the information officer of the Language Commission; and researcher Uday Raj Aaley.

“We have failed to make people aware of the importance of the Kusunda language. Development is not merely about economic and external growth; preserving languages like Kusunda is also a form of development,” said Awasthi.