Namaskar to my Visitors!!!
Last few months towards end of the last semester as usual of my types, I was busy in being true to profession doing grading etc. Interestingly, I'm not sure how my students grade me! I'm sure they must have been kind to me. But, it's not only one reason for me being not appearing on my blog 'MoKatha'. It's not also true that there has not been interesting things around me. Infact, they are plenty. Whether they are so or I make them that way, is also an issue. True is,I was busy in finishing writing of my second Odia poetry book. A couple of those I put it on my blog too. I am sorry these postings have been no use to my non-Odia visitors. So, as soon as I put up the last posting on Savitri, I got an email thanking me turning to English. I am happy to know that my visitors expect me to write.
But, at the other side it pops up a doubt on longevity of Indian Languages. English has been big-brother to all Indian Languages. Many of us make very conscious decisions in favour of it. Our kids, at least my kids do not know to read and write odia. My son argued against studying Sanskrit and Hindi in his school. I'm sure many of you must have encountered the same at different occasions against Indian Languages. At least I can say of Odia. I feel it's an endangered language for its sparing usages. In official domain English rules. So, also in higher education. Middle class prefers to English. Listen to an urbanite Odia, will find him talking Odia assorted with English or Hindi words. I doubt some time just they do – drop off English (deliberates or habituals ?), if at all it's needed for.
With my new incarnation as nascent poet, I had a privilege to have an hour long discussion with Sj. Ramakanta Rath a Padma Bibhusan awardee, distinguished bureaucrat ex-chief secretary of Odisha. More to it, he is a fine poet full of human sensitivity. He was also the president of Kendra Sahitya Academy. I was lamenting of my kids' inability to read and write Odia. He told me quite revealing that that is so even for kids in Odisa for parents talk in broken English assorted Odia at home and prefer to put kids at English medium schools. Just, imagine if the trend is like this what will be the situation after say fifty years. Even now, we have a chief minister who does not speak our language. With all appreciation to the most popular CM, I'll fall short to understand how a ruler can't speak in subjects' language or a leader can't speak in the language of mass! Anyway, he gets his votes, it's fine, probably?
But, the point is not only of Odia but also so for many Indian languages. Sj Ramakatha Rath tells the day will come Odia may extinguish like many languages had to in recent past. To me it is very saddening, so also for many of my generation. How can I imagine an Odia without a Champu or Salabega Janana? A Bengali without Rabindra Sangeet or Jibananda Das poems? A renowned Odia female novelist Smt. Supriya Panda, who discovered me on my blog put a bit of counseling to my concern. She said, as long as kids are sensitive, it does not matter what languages they know. Could be true. She seems to be very pragmatic, so are the ladies invariably!
But, for me my sensitivity is more expressive in Odia than English. So, occasionally I resort to Odia on my blog. But, I will be pragmatic where it demands to ....
Hrushikesha Mohanty
4th June 2009
Last few months towards end of the last semester as usual of my types, I was busy in being true to profession doing grading etc. Interestingly, I'm not sure how my students grade me! I'm sure they must have been kind to me. But, it's not only one reason for me being not appearing on my blog 'MoKatha'. It's not also true that there has not been interesting things around me. Infact, they are plenty. Whether they are so or I make them that way, is also an issue. True is,I was busy in finishing writing of my second Odia poetry book. A couple of those I put it on my blog too. I am sorry these postings have been no use to my non-Odia visitors. So, as soon as I put up the last posting on Savitri, I got an email thanking me turning to English. I am happy to know that my visitors expect me to write.
But, at the other side it pops up a doubt on longevity of Indian Languages. English has been big-brother to all Indian Languages. Many of us make very conscious decisions in favour of it. Our kids, at least my kids do not know to read and write odia. My son argued against studying Sanskrit and Hindi in his school. I'm sure many of you must have encountered the same at different occasions against Indian Languages. At least I can say of Odia. I feel it's an endangered language for its sparing usages. In official domain English rules. So, also in higher education. Middle class prefers to English. Listen to an urbanite Odia, will find him talking Odia assorted with English or Hindi words. I doubt some time just they do – drop off English (deliberates or habituals ?), if at all it's needed for.
With my new incarnation as nascent poet, I had a privilege to have an hour long discussion with Sj. Ramakanta Rath a Padma Bibhusan awardee, distinguished bureaucrat ex-chief secretary of Odisha. More to it, he is a fine poet full of human sensitivity. He was also the president of Kendra Sahitya Academy. I was lamenting of my kids' inability to read and write Odia. He told me quite revealing that that is so even for kids in Odisa for parents talk in broken English assorted Odia at home and prefer to put kids at English medium schools. Just, imagine if the trend is like this what will be the situation after say fifty years. Even now, we have a chief minister who does not speak our language. With all appreciation to the most popular CM, I'll fall short to understand how a ruler can't speak in subjects' language or a leader can't speak in the language of mass! Anyway, he gets his votes, it's fine, probably?
But, the point is not only of Odia but also so for many Indian languages. Sj Ramakatha Rath tells the day will come Odia may extinguish like many languages had to in recent past. To me it is very saddening, so also for many of my generation. How can I imagine an Odia without a Champu or Salabega Janana? A Bengali without Rabindra Sangeet or Jibananda Das poems? A renowned Odia female novelist Smt. Supriya Panda, who discovered me on my blog put a bit of counseling to my concern. She said, as long as kids are sensitive, it does not matter what languages they know. Could be true. She seems to be very pragmatic, so are the ladies invariably!
But, for me my sensitivity is more expressive in Odia than English. So, occasionally I resort to Odia on my blog. But, I will be pragmatic where it demands to ....
Hrushikesha Mohanty
4th June 2009
8 comments:
On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 7:08 PM, Goutam Chakraborty wrote:
Your concern is my concern too. It is true a common language is
important - that how I am communicating with you. But, like every
species on this Earth, survival of every language an culture is important
for us. I am deeply shocked by the horrible mixture of English, Hindi
and Bengali most Calcuttans (specially young ones) speak nowadays.
goutam
Univ. of Iwate, Japan
rfeceived by email .....
Padhili. Bahuta bhala lagila.
Bada Bhai
Prof.Biswajit Mishra
IIT Kharagpur
On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 11:30 PM, B.N. Patnaik patnaik@iitk.ac.in wrote:
Dear Professor Mohanty,
I enjoyed reading this piece as I had earlier, the one on Savitri brata. I
fully share your concerns on Oriya language. I had written a similar piece
in my blog sometime back.
Your pieces are thought provoking. Looking forward to read more from you,
and with warm regards,
Sincerely,
Patnaik
--
Retired Professor of English and Linguistics
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Current address:
1 E, Debonair Regency
7th Main, 3rd block, Jayalakshmipuram
Mysore - 570012
Landline: 0821-2411259
Alternative Email: bn.patnaik@gmail.com
Received by email
Dear Hrushikesh,
Sorry, I could not reply you earlier.
Your latest article is very strong and again very realistic.
I know how it is painful to see our children not having interest, respect or even a little bit of curiosity to know their own language and native culture. Probably they have not heard of Champu or Upendra Bhanj. What they are missing in life that they do not know and therefore they don't regret. We remain as silent spectators to see their transformation in the modern lingua-cultural Melting Point.
But I strongly feel, Hrushikesh that it can not run like this. The scenario will be changed as it has to be. Only thing is that we may not be there to see it. Except this language, I regard these children for their sensibility, knowledge and correct application of their IQ. Moreover, for their not knowing the languge and the native culture, somehow I blame myself to some extent as a parent ( probably on behalf of many such parents). During their formative years how much time we spent on telling them our Budhima Kahani, Agana Agani Banasta, Chhanda, Champu, the role of Kalabati in the literary life of Upendra Bhanja or the speciality of our famous Chhou Dance. Our answer will be nothing but a candid confession. So if we have not paid the premium in right time, then we have to become the obvious, rather helpless spectators of seeing them in the Melting Pot.Hrushikesh, I feel sorry to say that in many families even the role of Budhima, the affectionate story-teller has not been there as families have become nucleus.
You are a very sensible person and having a rich nostalgia and you suffer to see that next generation will not be its inheritors.The flags will be in our hands only and no younger hand will stretch to take it from us as the relay race probably ends with us.
Supriya Panda
Dear Hrushikesha,
You have raised a very important topic for discussions. It is a common problem that I have observed painfully the same during my long fifteen years of stay in the USA and UK. Over there, Indian kids are reluctant to speak in their parental languages and parents are constantly worrying about it and lamenting for not able to rectify the situation.
Our friend Gautam from Japan has brought up another related issue that I also wath now and then in Calcutta. People are mixing several languages to express their thoughts. It has become a status symbol to many so called class concious youngsters to display their social standing.
My submission about to lessen this problem is, it is upto each family to raise, guide and monitor their offsprings to feel proud to learn and express their ancestral language in addition to the global language like English, Spanish or French.
Thanks,
Debajyoti Mukhopadhyay
Calcutta Business School
4 June 2009
Sir,
Though part of a younger generation I completely understand your concern. Having been brought up in Tamil Nadu, my knowledge of Tamil is better than Malayalam. I know only to speak Malayalam. But then my parents did take care as much as they could. Malayalam was the language to be compulsorily spoken at home. We used to go for two months vacation(school days) to our native and there we would be tutored(to learn the script). But then a break of one year would make us forget all we learnt. Anyways, we learnt the script even though we may make mistakes and become the laughing stock of people around if we put them to use.
Today, I feel the handicap more than ever. I do not know the literary works in Malayalam nor can I understand beauty in the language. Also, culturally, I feel sometimes like Trishanku not belonging either to the Malayalee group nor the Tamil group. Yes, we've picked the best of both but we are ignorant about a lot. Whatever said and done, our roots are something we would like to be connected to and without a firm base in the mother tongue it is difficult.
I do not know if future generations with only knowledge of English will realise what they have lost, having learnt of daffodils that they haven't seen nor smelt, or the English countryside spoken in classics they may never have a chance to see.
Dear sir,
I know 4 languages (reading, writing & speaking). English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. As Sanskrit is in devanagiri, I can read it. Also I learned Sanskrit as a 2nd lang. in school, but now remember only little. That is due to lack of continuiety with the subject.
With reference to the above, I used to boast of having knowledge of four languages TILL:
My elder son once asked me "In Hindi, when do you use uska and uski?" I simply answered him saying we use uska when the subject is male and uski when the subject is female.
But, he explained me grammatically why uska or ending with ka and uski or ending with ki is used and I was stunned to know how much less I know of it. Though I was able to form sentences correctly in Hindi by virtue of experience, I failed to give the grammatical explanation of it.
My children have knowledge of four languages like me, but unfortunately they have not learned, sorry, I should say that they have not been taught to read and write in mother tongue Tamil and the regional language Telugu.
I feel we are partly responsible for this.
Coming to the point made by you sir, I agree with you that the English, which is a communication language, has even entered all the regional languages too.
From the maid servants to autoriksha wallas to shop keepers to labourers to scavangers to everybody use English words as they truely forgotten the alternate native words or are using the English words out of habit OR because it is easy to spell in English..
I feel this trend is GLOBAL.
C.K. Rajendran
Dear sir,
I know 4 languages (reading, writing & speaking). English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. As Sanskrit is in devanagiri, I can read it. Also I learned Sanskrit as a 2nd lang. in school, but now remember only little. That is due to lack of continuiety with the subject.
With reference to the above, I used to boast of having knowledge of four languages TILL:
My elder son once asked me "In Hindi, when do you use uska and uski?" I simply answered him saying we use uska when the subject is male and uski when the subject is female.
But, he explained me grammatically why uska or ending with ka and uski or ending with ki is used and I was stunned to know how much less I know of it. Though I was able to form sentences correctly in Hindi by virtue of experience, I failed to give the grammatical explanation of it.
My children have knowledge of four languages like me, but unfortunately they have not learned, sorry, I should say that they have not been taught to read and write in mother tongue Tamil and the regional language Telugu.
I feel we are partly responsible for this.
Coming to the point made by you sir, I agree with you that the English, which is a communication language, has even entered all the regional languages too.
From the maid servants to autoriksha wallas to shop keepers to labourers to scavangers to everybody use English words as they truely forgotten the alternate native words or are using the English words out of habit OR because it is easy to spell in English..
I feel this trend is GLOBAL.
C.K. Rajendran
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