SINHAS Vol 31 No 1 Nima D. Lama
The Quest for Legitimacy: Bhāratī as a Site of Nepali Language Standardization
Nima D. Lama
Abstract
This paper examines Bhāratī as a critical site for the post-independence consolidation of Nepali linguistic modernity in India. Building on earlier trajectories of Nepali print activism, the study argues that Bhāratī transformed language standardization into a strategic cultural project aimed at securing institutional recognition and legitimacy within the newly independent Indian state. Standard Nepali was thus framed as a tangible proof of civilizational competence and prerequisite for the Nepali community’s claim to constitutional recognition and belonging. Furthermore, by situating Bhāratī within a transnational print sphere, the paper argues that the journal operated within a liminal space where national affiliation, cultural authority, and linguistic legitimacy were continuously negotiated. Drawing on editorials and essays found within the journal, the paper analyzes how linguistic uniformity and “purity” were articulated as moral imperatives tied to community upliftment. At the same time, the study situates linguistic reform within the practical realities of the emergent “popular print publics.” In doing so, it examines the internal contestations through discursive essays, and reader correspondences, preserved within the journal—such as critiques of “high” Nepali and defenses of colloquial forms—demonstrating that standardization was neither seamless nor uncontested. By examining the journal’s circulation practices, and subscription appeals, the study further situates linguistic reform within the practical realities of the emergent reading public. Bhāratī, thus exemplifies both the possibilities and structural fragilities of the mid-20th century Nepali print culture.
Keywords: Bhāratī, postcolonial India, linguistic legitimacy, standardization, public sphere, popular print publics, contestation
The Quest for Legitimacy: Bhāratī as a Site of Nepali Language Standardization
Nima D. Lama
Abstract
This paper examines Bhāratī as a critical site for the post-independence consolidation of Nepali linguistic modernity in India. Building on earlier trajectories of Nepali print activism, the study argues that Bhāratī transformed language standardization into a strategic cultural project aimed at securing institutional recognition and legitimacy within the newly independent Indian state. Standard Nepali was thus framed as a tangible proof of civilizational competence and prerequisite for the Nepali community’s claim to constitutional recognition and belonging. Furthermore, by situating Bhāratī within a transnational print sphere, the paper argues that the journal operated within a liminal space where national affiliation, cultural authority, and linguistic legitimacy were continuously negotiated. Drawing on editorials and essays found within the journal, the paper analyzes how linguistic uniformity and “purity” were articulated as moral imperatives tied to community upliftment. At the same time, the study situates linguistic reform within the practical realities of the emergent “popular print publics.” In doing so, it examines the internal contestations through discursive essays, and reader correspondences, preserved within the journal—such as critiques of “high” Nepali and defenses of colloquial forms—demonstrating that standardization was neither seamless nor uncontested. By examining the journal’s circulation practices, and subscription appeals, the study further situates linguistic reform within the practical realities of the emergent reading public. Bhāratī, thus exemplifies both the possibilities and structural fragilities of the mid-20th century Nepali print culture.
Keywords: Bhāratī, postcolonial India, linguistic legitimacy, standardization, public sphere, popular print publics, contestation