Indigenous Language Politics in the Indian Himalayas

The Lepcha community is indigenous to the Himalayan mountains, and can be found across India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. There's estimated to be less than 70,000 speakers of the Lepcha language, and while it is an official language of Sikkim retention is a challenge. A three podcast series exploring issues of indigenous languages to mark the beginning of the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022 - 2032). Guest: Dr Charisma Lepcha (Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University and Visiting Scholar, Harvard Yenching Institute). Host: Dr Gerald Roche (Senior Research Fellow, Department of Politics, Media and Philosophy at La Trobe University, La Trobe Asia Fellow) Recorded on 16 February, 2022.