Daehler S. Digital Lepcha for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux

Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee, 2016. — 17 p.Lepcha is a major language and a lingua-franca of Sikkim. It is also known as Rong, Rongaring, or Rongring. Apart from Sikkim, Lepcha is also spoken in Nepal, Bhutan and the Indian State of West Bengal. Lepcha tradition says that it is the very language of the Deities. Tradition has it that after the Deity had created the Lepchas’ first primogenitors — Fodongthing and Nazongnyu out of sacred Kongchen Konghlo Chu, the deities had spoken with them in this very Lepcha Language, and which was passed to their children and later to this generation till date, uninterruptedly.Lepchas are known as Mutanchi Rongkup Rumkup which means the Beloved Children of Mother Nature and God; therefore, during their ceremonial worships and invocations, Bongthing and Mun (priest and priestess) use this language.An ancient language, Lepcha is a monosyllabic one. Its alphabet is classified as letters and accent marks and has consonants, vowels, finals, circumflex signs and other affixed signs. The richness of the Lepcha language can be attributed to the fact that it has names for all the existing flora and fauna species. The Lepcha scripture found expansion and wider circulation with the initiatives of the 3rd Denjong Chogyal Chagdor Namgyal, who himself was a great scholar of the time.With this Font and Keyboard Software for Digital Lepcha Text Processing — the Rong Kit, we are sure that the growth and development of the scripture and language attains new heights and horizons. Besides, it would be fun using it. It is hoped that our endeavor inculcates new energy, keenness and inspiration amongst our people to further put forward the usage and advancement of this rich and ancient language and culture.