Rongring Lepcha Culture & Welfare Society

I’m Jenny Bentley, a researcher at the ISEC, University of Zurich. Since 2006, I’ve been conducting research on the Lepcha community in Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong.

Taking the Rongring language classes was a great experience for me — learning alongside people from around the world, many of them Lepcha, but also from other communities. As a beginning researcher, having that kind of supportive learning environment meant a lot.

I’ve already gotten to know people through it, and I plan to join the next level. It helps me take time out of my busy schedule to focus on learning the language, which is really important for me as an anthropologist.

Overall, I completely support these courses and would recommend them to anyone interested in the Lepcha community.

My name is Eva Tenzing, and I work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, where I was born and raised. I've always wanted to learn the Lepcha language because I find it beautiful and unique, and I have many Lepcha friends in Zongu.

Since the language is slowly dying, I believe that learning it can help its survival.

Although we live in strange times where travel isn’t easy, new opportunities like the Rongring platform have made learning Lepcha possible. I joined Batch Three and am very glad I did — I’ve already learned to read and write, and I’m excited to continue, especially with speaking.

Rongring also offers cultural seminars on topics like Lepcha traditional songs, which makes the experience even richer. For anyone wanting to explore Lepcha language and culture, I highly recommend Rongring.

My name is Aratrika Ganguly. I'm pursuing a PhD in Comparative Indian Language and Literature at the University of Calcutta and working as an Assistant Professor in English at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology.

I took the Level One course at Rongring, and it’s been an incredible experience — not just learning a new language, but gaining insight into the rich culture and worldview of the Lepcha people from Sikkim and North Bengal. There’s so much hidden treasure in this language, and I dream of one day translating Lepcha texts into Bangla, English, or Hindi to help it reach a wider audience.

I highly recommend this course — not only for the language, but for understanding the thoughtful, technical way it’s taught.

After just 8–10 weeks, I truly felt like part of a warm, welcoming community, even through a virtual platform.