Shillong, May 31: The Jaintia National Council and the Jaintia Student Union held joint meeting on 30/May/2026 on the pressing subject of the preservation and official recognition of the Jaiñtia language and the A-B Jaiñtia Phonetic Alphabet.
The meeting witnessed the participation of a distinguished gathering of senior citizens, scholars, members of Jaiñtia literary bodies, teachers, writers, professors, and representatives of both organisations, reflecting the depth of community concern and commitment toward the cause.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Shri. Sambormi Lyngdoh, President of the JNC Central Executive Committee, described the meeting as fruitful and successful, stating that while every participant brought forward valuable perspectives and suggestions, the gathering ultimately converged on one unified thought and resolution.
To vigorously follow up and push for the formal recognition of the Jaiñtia language in the Meghalaya State Language Act, and to ensure that the A-B Jaiñtia Phonetic Alphabet, whose recognition was already passed by resolution of the JHADC in its Budget Session of 2021, and subsequently published in the Meghalaya Gazette notification, receives its rightful official status without further delay.
Shri. Sambormi Lyngdoh further emphasised that official recognition alone is not sufficient if the community does not actively nurture its language from within. He made a passionate appeal to the Jaiñtia people:
“It is now high time for our people to begin writing books and articles in our mother tongue in the Jaiñtia language, for the benefit of our future generations. This is the most meaningful and lasting way to preserve and revive our language and our roots. If we truly want to enrich our language, we must start writing it ourselves, and let us start from home.” Survival of our Language is the Survival of our identity.
He announced that with immediate effect, the JNC and JSU will jointly undertake the task of “identifying, collecting, and compiling books and articles” written by members of the community in the Jaiñtia language, in order to take the necessary steps for their wider use and dissemination.
Shri. Lyngdoh also extended a warm appeal to authors and writers within the community who have completed works in the Jaiñtia language but face difficulties in publication.
“We urge every such writer to come forward and approach the two organisations. We will do everything within our capacity to find a way forward. And we appeal to our people, let us begin writing our books in our own language, so that one day they may be used in our schools and institutions for the generations that follow us.”
Shri. Jersom Shylla, President of the Jaiñtia Students Union, described today’s gathering as deeply heartwarming, noting the presence of scholars, teachers, advisers, and community leaders who came together with a shared sense of purpose. Shri. Shylla, however, drew pointed attention to the unresolved and contradictory status of the Jaiñtia alphabet at the government level.
The A-B Jaiñtia Phonetic Alphabet was passed by a resolution of the JHADC and was published in the Meghalaya Gazette, these are undeniable official facts. Yet to this day, there is no concrete update on its progress.
What is deeply concerning is that the Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the JHADC has stated that the matter is now with the Law Department of the State Government, while our Cabinet Minister, Shri. Wailadmiki Shylla, has stated that the matter is with the Governor’s Office. These two statements are contradictory and cannot both be true. Whom do we believe.
He affirmed that in light of this institutional contradiction and continued ambiguity, the two organisations have jointly resolved to actively follow up, trace, and pursue this matter through all appropriate channels until a clear and conclusive answer is obtained from the concerned authorities.
