The power of our mother language
Soumya, a student of class two of a government primary school at Borda, near Margao is carefully reading out a small note written in Marathi. The seven year old hails from Karnataka and lives in Gogol with her parents and siblings. Her father works as a daily wage painter. She says she can speak Kannada but can read Marathi. She is preparing to give a talk on the importance of mother language at an event conducted by an NGO in the school premises to observe International Mother Language Day. As I look on to the child with interest (I am invited by the organizers as a guest of honor), her teacher tells me -- Soumya is bright student!
In another corner, a group of little children are preparing to enact a skit and sing a song in thethi, a dialect sounding like Bhojpuri. Their teacher tells me that this group of students belong to a district in Bihar. There are more students as well -- natives of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Odisha, Madya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and other north Indian states. To me this is sort of a panoramic view of India, a cultural melting pot; literally. I also do not sense any language barrier in this amalgamation of the north and the west. At least these chirpy children do not seem to be affected by linguistic, cultural or regional barriers as they play, rehearse, laugh, shout and run-around the school courtyard.
As the event to celebrate linguistic diversity commences, small groups of tiny children put up various cultural activities in multiple languages; Oriya, Marathi, Kannada, Marathi, Konkani, Bhojpuri, Hindi and Urdu to name a few. What amuses me of all things is the respect these little children have for their own mother tongue as well as that of others. There is no giggling, teasing, nothing -- as each group puts out an item in their state language or in their mother tongue.Moreover, we all know that language is the key to inclusion and identity. Speaking in one's mother tongue is a matter of pride. It helps one stay rooted and connected to the rich cultural and intellectual heritage. I've always been a proponent of the significance of learning and communicating in one's mother tongue. I also believe that the importance of learning multiple languages (especially Indian) is huge. It makes India accessible to us, allows us to travel to other states with confidence and engage with the locals who speak the language. IMLD is not only a day to celebrate one's mother language but also an opportunity to begin learning a new language. Respect for one's mother language does not mean disrespecting others. India is multilingual with every region and state having its own language. We should inculcate in our children love and respect for every language of our country to promote unity in diversity. The display of immense tolerance and respect to all languages spoken in this gathering of little children, makes me feel wonderful.
Somewhere in the corner of the courtyard hosting the event is a make shift painting gallery carefully erected by volunteers (students of Chowgule College) displaying informative drawings on chart paper. Two of them attract my attention. One which reads, "I carry my language with me everywhere I go" and another which reads, "1635 mother tongues spoken in India". According to India Guide: Languages in India, there are 22 major languages in India, written in 13 different scripts, with 720 dialects. Some 420 million people speak the national language, Hindi while English is also widely used. Several states in India have their own official languages.
This event is being organised by volunteers of Chalo School Mega Drive (CSMD). CSMD is an initiative of Butukak Memorial Trust (BMT) Goa -- a Non Profit Public Charitable Trust and is attended by primary school students, teachers, volunteers of CSMD and parents cum students of adult literacy classes.
Chief co-ordinator of CSMD, well known educationist, social reformer and professor of Chowgule College, Dr. Gunaji Sadanand Desai informs us that this is the third year CSMD has organized this activity. The objective is to sensitize students and parents to respect their mother tongue and create awareness of its benefits to the children in acquiring knowledge, he says. If students speak selected sentences in their respective mother tongues, it fosters unity in diversity among the students, he opines.International Mother Language Day is observed annually on February 21 to promote linguistic diversity. Every year UNESCO comes with a theme and conducts events to create awareness about the importance of languages.
This year the day aims at bringing indigenous languages in the forefront. The theme of International Mother Language Day 2019 is 'Indigenous languages matter for development, peace building and reconciliation'. UNESCO first announced the day on November 17, 1999, in a bid to promote multilingualism. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was initiated by Bangladesh. Bangladesh celebrates February 21 as the anniversary of the day when Bangladeshis fought for recognition for the Bangla language.
In this year's message, the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, while calling upon all UNESCO member states, patterns, and educational stakeholders to recognize and enforce the rights of indigenous peoples writes,"Indigenous peoples have always expressed their desire for education in their own languages, as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples number some 370 million and their languages account for the majority of of the approximately 7000 living languages on earth. Many indigenous people continue to suffer from marginalization, discrimination and extreme poverty and are victims of human rights violations."
We keep reading that linguistic diversity is increasingly under threat as more and more languages are disappearing. As per an UN report, at least 43% of the estimated 7000 languages spoken in the world are endangered. A language disappears every two weeks taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage, it says. Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand while only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain, suggests the report.
Back to the courtyard, the eventful day is about to end. Children queue up to collect their felicitations while proud mothers gather their bags and other belongings to take them back home. However, Dr. Desai will not rest until everyone present resolve to keep their mother language in use, besides learning additional languages. The further resolve is that the unique nuances and subtleties of linguistic communication which connect individuals to culture and personal identity are valued and encouraged. He strongly believes that multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.
When languages fade, so does the world's rich tapestry of cultural diversity -- valuable resources like opportunities, traditions, memories, are also lost, he warns, even as the children grasp the message well. And as we end, I remember this famous quote of anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa, Nelson R. Mandela -- “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”
Courtesy: EVESCAPE Women's Features, GoaThis article was published in Gomantak Times, Goa
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