'LANGUAGE CHAUVINISM'

Nowadays we often hear the news like people of different states giving importance to their respective regional languages, dialects, etc. They also end up fighting, abusing, dictating others, go on strikes and get unnecessarily media's attention only to establish ‘their’ language's importance in ‘their’ land.

It may be ok in a particular sense, but it doesn’t give complete justice. It directly hampers everyone’s freedom of speech and indirectly demolishes entire freedom, which our Indian Constitution has given us long back, to be precise nearly 70 years back.

But these so-called language preservation activists often forget that while nurturing their own regional languages they eventually end up hampering the other person’s vernacular.

Imagine a situation – A family in a neighbourhood enjoying delicious IDLI SAMBHAR in the breakfast. Another family happens to come there & ask them why are they eating IDLI  SAMBHAR? 

Why not PURANPOLI ?

One of them even insist them to put aside their IDLI SAMBHAR and to have PURANPOLI only.

Doesn’t anybody have the right to eat what they love or of their choice?

If I wish to eat IDLI then I will eat IDLI. If I have the required ingredients to prepare IDLI, then yes, I will prepare IDLI. But If I do not know how PURANPOLI is made or I dislike PURANPOLI then why am I supposed to eat PURANPOLI, that to on others’ insistence. 

Well, the IDLI and PURANPOLI issue can be aptly applied to the differences in languages and the language insistence that people are having a lot these days. It is one’s belief that a particular language is great because one was accidentally born in a region which decides one’s mother tongue. Moreover, respecting one language does not necessitate disrespecting another. 

Unquestionably, A person should be given a choice to express in any language he or she is comfortable with.

And why should it be denied? 

It has already been bestowed upon us by our Indian Constitution. It’s the birth right which we have. Even if I know several languages, in which language should I express my views in a particular situation should be only MY CHOICE.

Of course, the situation should be appropriate, that is completely true. But the theory that one should speak in a particular language on the insistence of others is a weird thing. A language is not an entity of  only a particular region or location. Language is language. It has a broader identity and perspective. Any language has the right to be spoken in any corner of the country, world- universe. That way a language can flourish and spread far and wide. If I love my language, if I have utmost pride for my language, I will see how it is being lovingly spread. And not just by hatred, persistence, and importunity. Sometimes the point of disagreement is something else. Like – ‘I agree with you, but I disagree with your tone’. In an argument the tone speaks the most. 

We have been taught these as kids that if you wish somebody to do something then it should be told lovingly. It should be said in an admirable, likable, lovable, polite manner and tone that the person would surely accept and appreciate it. 

Why not broaden our perspective & accept every useful & apt thing in a positive manner with open arms in this age of Globalization? We speak & read a lot about globalisation. But nothing is put in practice. It is only a theory limited to books. 

Famous poet & musician John Lennon has long back expressed in his ‘Imagine’ that instead of having boundaries that divide us, we should live as one and share the world.

“….Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one”

In our multilingual India we should stand together and  respect every regional language, vernacular, dialect. This would be the real unity. Otherwise having disputes over languages will only prove that how divided, how narrow-minded and how stubborn we are.

As Author & politician Shashi Tharoor  says– “If you want to preserve India's Unity, if you value the idea of India, it can only be a multi-ethnic multi-religious multilingual & multicoloured. And that is the only India that can survive the moment. Instead of unity, if you start with emphasizing uniformity, you will destroy it. It's as simple as that.”

There are several, innumerable, countless, multitudinous languages in this world. We admire people who speak many languages, but everyone cannot adapt to every single language, is the ultimate truth.

Singers sing in different languages, actors act in films of various regions having different languages and accents

If you respect yourself then you will start respecting others. In a similar manner, if you respect your language then you should also give the same respect to other languages also. This way, the required give and take between languages will occur smoothly.

Moreover, language cannot be an issue, a matter of quarrel or a barrier. Language is a mode of communication.

So, how can it be a barrier in communication itself?