Nepal comprises an area of 147,181 square kilometers, with a length of
850 kilometers from east to west and a mean breadth of 193 kilometers from
north to south. Mountain, hill, inner Terai and Terai indicate its varied
topography. 103 officially recognized caste and ethnic groups speaking more than
92 languages inhabit in this country.
Nepal is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual nation. However, the policies
of one language, one culture and one religion adopted right from Prithvi Narayan
Shah merely through Rana rulers to Panchayati rulers merely focused in
consolidations power and sustaining dynasty rule deprived ethnic communities of
their linguistic, cultural and religious rights. This article presents how ethnic
communities were deprived of their linguistic rights and how they are gaining it
after the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990 and after the second
people's movement in 2062/63 B.S.