On February 21, 2026, NEILAC observed World Mother Language Day, reaffirming its commitment to the recognition, documentation, preservation, and revitalisation of the diverse languages of North-East India. The observance came at a significant moment in NEILAC’s ongoing language work, including its engagement with community-based documentation, educational materials, and language revitalisation initiatives. In the days leading up to the observance, an article by Vijay, titled “On Punishing School Children for Speaking Their Mother Tongue,” was published in The Morung Express on the occasion of World Mother Language Day. The article drew attention to the importance of respecting children’s mother tongues in educational contexts. For NEILAC, the day provided an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of linguistic diversity and to highlight the need for educational and documentation practices that value the languages spoken by communities across North-East India.
