Blogger-Counterpoint!
On An Editorial Feature [Translated by this blogger]
This editorial feature in today's Hindu Thisai, Tamil morninger, is by Mr. M. Ramanathan.
It's based on the recent diktat issued by a hospital in Delhi, asking Malayalees not to speak in Malayalam!
(Translated for our friends from other parts of the World) 👇
The writer asks,
“Is it a crime to speak in one's mother tongue?"
“... in this problem, we should bring to attention the Malayalee's love of language and love of Nation.
“The moment two Malayalees meet outside of Kerala, their joy knows no bounds...”
“Don't know if the same could be said about Tamils”.
“In the movie titled, "Kathalikka Neramillai", Nagesh aspires to become a movie director”.
“One particular dialogue that he gives, is quite popular, which again he delivers in English” -
“We won't watch Tamil movies. We will watch only English movies”.
“Like Nagesh, many uppish Tamil citizenry over here who live in and around the city, talk in English among themselves. And they think, speaking in English alone denotes status and pride!”
“However, when two Malayalees meet up outside of Kerala, it's rare for them to converse in English....”
“In this background, we can very well understand the context in which the two nurses conversed between themselves in Malayalam”.
“I have a message for them”.
“It’s not as an advice. But from my own experience”.
“Malayalam is your mother tongue. I know how much you love your language. No one can necessarily compel you not to talk in your language. You too, I’m sure, will not allow that to happen”.
“It’s natural for you to talk amongst yourselves in Malayalam at your workplace”.
“At the same time, you are working in Delhi”.
“When you are talking in Malayalam, when per chance, there happens to be a non-Malayalee patient, or non-Malayalee nurse around, although they don’t partake of your conversation, do not talk in Malayalam. That’s yet another aspect of culture”, says the writer.
But this is exactly where I beg to differ with the
writer’s point of view!
Well, if people of all ethnicities, irrespective of the hundreds of languages spoken in India, could follow this suggestion uniformly, then there shouldn’t be a problem.
The government should then, chalk out and formulate a uniform pattern here for all citizens in the workplace!
This singling out of Malayalees alone, and giving them suggestions and advice is unfair by all means!
Added, I would like to fondly recollect our Vice President of India, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, a strong votary of the mother tongue, who, time and again, emphasises on the importance of mother tongue on a person’s life!
‘Mother tongue is soul of life’, he had said on the eve of “International Mother Languages Day” on 21 February 2021.
He describes the ‘first learned and spoken mother tongue’ of a human being as the ‘soul of life’!
He also then urges all the Members of Parliament to actively contribute to the cause of preservation and promotion of Indian languages.
“When a society starts neglecting its native languages”, the Vice President says, “it results in the loss of knowledge accumulated over time in respective cultures, of which languages are a manifestation”.
He further writes,
“With a multiplicity of languages and a rich spectrum of dialects, we have regions which are repositories of knowledge much of which stands imperiled today”.
“This is mainly due to a mindset of looking down upon one’s mother tongue and wearing the linguistic badge of competence in English as a false sign of superiority…”
“Culture and language are the two sides of the same coin. They embody rich knowledge and practices accumulated over a long period. Extinction of a language results in the loss of precious legacy. We can’t allow this to happen,” he observes.
“The richness of our diverse cultures can only be preserved through the promotion of mother languages,” he further opines.
The Hon. Vice President also emphasized on the importance of learning more languages, as it offers more windows to the world besides enabling cross-cultural understanding, peace and harmony.
He also added to say that, “But it can’t be achieved without a strong foundation in one’s own first language. Mother tongue is the soul of life.”
The Vice President hence, gave a fervent exhortation to all Members of Parliament to be active facilitators in promoting native languages in the large areas they represent and to start with, by taking up appropriate communication and outreach programmes on the occasion of International Mother Languages Day’ by drawing inspiration from the motto of “Let us love and promote mother tongue.”
As such, when the Malayalees have already been doing exactly the same, why blame them or even give them advice?
Instead, going by the exhortations of our Vice President, then, I personally feel, it’s time we honoured the Malayalees, admired them and appreciated them, for, (in the words of our Hon. Vice President) “promoting native languages for preserving the country’s rich cultural diversity” in their own beautiful ways! Period.
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