All of sudden Mother tongue row has risen in India after Raj Thackrey declared Mumbai belongs to miarathis and only marathi speaking have right on Mumbai. This row reminds me of the famous lines of a song from Refugee "Panchi Nadia Pawan ke jhoke koi sarahad na inhe roke". Its irony that people who really belonged to Mumbai the kolis, the fisher tribes are not raising issue but people who are outsiders The Thackrey's are raising this issue. Its clear that this is drive to gain political mileage.
I don't agree with Thackrey's because anywhere in the world when a person settles down somewhere he or she learns the local language accepts local culture. I myself stay away from my original land in Gujarat. Although we have maintained our best to keep our original culture alive, we have openly accepted Gujarati Culture, food style and language along with our own culture. There is nothing wrong. I know so many families from UP and Bihar who speak Gujarati in family and more like Gujaratis then Upian or Biharis.
My personal observation is every child should be educated in mother tongue or local dialect till 5th std. Children coming from vernacular medium are more clear about what is being taught then students studying in English Medium. I myself has been student of Convent Schools, Studied in English medium but did my college along with students of Vernacular medium. I felt that they were much better in many things than me because teachers who educated me throughout in English medium themselves were not doing their job with their heart. Because we think and dream in our mother tongue.
I write in Hindi, English and Gujarati but my thoughts are more fluent, clear when I write in Hindi and in Gujarati rather than English. No not because I am short of words or do not have good command on English but because when I write in English I write with my brain and when I write in Hindi or Gujarati I write with my heart. Being speaker I can easily convey my message to mass.
English is just a hype. It should be treated as necessity than prestige point. Today English is treated as Prestige rather than one more language. Our children find it hard to speak, write and read their own mother tongue because their parents and teachers take pain to teach them English rather teaching local language.
Our constitution granted Hindi as National Language and English as administrative language only to connect India. But our politicians for their petty gains are playing regional card, this is alarming situation. After Tamil Nadu its Maharastra and I see Gujarat going on same path. There is nothing wrong in being proud Marathi, Gujarati, UPian or Tamil but people should not get so emotional about their culture, language or region that 2morrow integrity of India as whole may be in danger.
How many time I come across people who talk to their children in English as if they are talking to their pets. The most surprising thing is none of our pet understand our own mother tongue they all understand only English. Tommy eat, sit, go, fetch. Aree Baba if you will tell tommy betho, bhago, pakdo, Tommy will understand but we are copy cat nation in our country we want even the dog on the road to speak in English.
Once my younger sister went to my maternal Grand mother's house. She was conversing with My grandmother, uncle and rest in Hindi, which happens to be our mother tongue. Because my grandmother who knew Hindi, Telgu and Marathi didn't knew English. My aunt, who grew up reading mills and boon asked my younger brother "Is Anjali Studying in Vernacular medium". My brother replied No is studying in Convent School. Why? On this my aunt answered Oh she is speaking in Hindi with all of us. Anjali today is Lecturer of English Communication. I really pity my aunt who expected Anjali to flaunt her English knowledge before her Grandmother, uncles, aunts rather than conversing in language which all of them would have enjoyed.
Anyone who know mother tongue or local dialect will never remain lonely, he or she may find lot of people to converse with. I fully agree with people who are promoting Matrubhasha vandana program because every society is known by their language, cuisine, couture and culture. But I don't support Marathi Manus or Tamil only movements its more disintegrating India as whole.
