Lahaul's Chinal language to be preserved: Himachal education minister

The Himachal Pradesh government will preserve the Chinal language that is spoken in Lahaul area of Lahaul and Spiti district, Education Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said on Sunday. Addressing a gathering at a function organised by the Department of Language, Art and Culture at the Gaiety theatre here, Bhardwaj said: "Sanskrit is the mother of Chinal language, like other languages."

The Chinal language spoken in Lahaul will be preserved, the minister said, adding that the state government had accorded the status of the second language to Sanskrit. Earlier, Sham Chand Azad, a resident of Lahaul, said: "The department secretary, Purnima Chauhan, is already working in the direction to promote the Chinal language." "My elder brother, Neel Chand, has been working on vocabulary and grammar of Chinal language for the past 12 years," he added.