SURKHET: The people belonging to Raji community — enlisted as marginalised group — are concerned about gradual intrusion of modern lifestyle into their culture.

Birkhalal Raji, 40, of Uttarganga, said, “Uttarganga is also known as Raji

village. But intrusion of modern lifestyle has rendered our culture virtually non-existent.” The one quality that distinguishes Raji community from others is its language. However, people from the Raji community preferred to use other languages for communication, he rued.

Krishna Bahadur Raji, a local, said, “We use our mother tongue only to communicate with elderly people in the village. The youngsters do not speak the language.” According to Raji, only about 18 people above the age of 40

could speak their mother tongue. The total population of the Raji community in the village is 45. “If the trend continues, there won’t be a single person left in the village who would speak the language in the next couple of decades.”

A few other locals hoped that the Constituent Assembly would do the needful to preserve their language and culture. Birkhalal Raji, another local, said, “The government should help conduct a research into the language,” adding that textbooks in the language for schools would immensely help preserve and promote the language.

“The state has neglected our community for decades. It is now time for the government to give us our due,” Ashok Raji, a local, said.

He informed that Raji people of Lagam, Ghatgau, Tatapani, Chhinchu, Hariharpur and Kalyan areas preferred to use Nepali instead of their mother tongue for communication.

According to a report published by the UNESCO in February, Raji language is on the verge of extinction. Only about 1,000 people across the nation could speak the language, the

report states.