|
India Thinkers Net Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
| << September30, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]Politics in Demographics |
September30, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]PWG WATCH: >> |
|
From: Regi P George <george_regi@yahoo.com> Malayalam a withering language http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/30/stories/2004093007090500.htm By Dr. M.K. Chand Raj India is a country with a diversity of languages. Out of more than 1,000 mother tongues, only 18 have been included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as official languages. Though Hindi is India's national language, every State has its own regional language. Development of a particular State or region, to a great extent, depends on the development of its language. This was the primary concept at the time of formation of linguistic States, though such a linguistic division was criticised by many. India's national leaders, especially Mahatma Gandhi, held the view that the true values of democracy could be spread among the common villager only through regional languages. Further, almost all education commissions constituted by the Central Government have stressed the need to have the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, from primary class to the post-graduate level. It is paradoxical that in Kerala, in spite of 100 per cent literacy rate, the mother tongue ??” Malayalam ??” has remained in a state of neglect. This is a major issue now under discussion among the Keralites in and outside the State. Interestingly enough, there has been a hue and cry over this matter for a long time. But unfortunately, there is no sign of any improvement. In education Believe it or not, even after 50 years since the formation of Kerala, the learning of the mother tongue has not been made compulsory. In other words, if a student wishes (probably prompted by parents) he/she can avoid Malayalam and get any degree, even post-graduation, in this State. All this can be done without the student knowing even a single word of the mother tongue! Is there any land on earth which produces educated people who do not know the native language of that particular place? It is possible in Kerala! The University of Travancore, the first of its kind in this region, was established in Thiruvananthapuram in 1937 by Maharaja Balarama Varma, before the formation of Kerala. The main aim of the university was to promote Malayalam language and development of Kerala culture. Preamble After the formation of Kerala in 1957, the University of Travancore was reconstituted as the University of Kerala. The aim of this university was the same. Though the nomenclature was changed, there was no change in the preamble of the university. As per the preamble of the University of Kerala, "the proclaimed objectives of the university were the conservation, promotion and development of Kerala art and culture and the Malayalam language and the gradual change of the medium of instruction into Malayalam in all the educational institutions in the state .... " Yet, after five decades, nobody knows when "the proclaimed objectives" of the university would be put into reality. Kerala's neighbouring States such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have taken so many steps to promote their respective languages. The Governments as well as the people of these States are very keen on the development and promotion of their native languages. In Andhra Pradesh, for example, Telugu University, founded in 1985, takes much interest in nurturing the Telugu language. This university has been publishing books such as dictionaries and encyclopaedias to promote and develop Telugu. Official language In the sphere of administration too, Malayalam has not yet reached a level at par with the status given by other States to their native languages. As per the Kerala Official Language Act 1969, Kerala's official language was Malayalam or English. The Act was amended in 1973. This amendment was made for the adoption of both `Malayalam and English' as the language to be used for the official purposes of the State. Hence, today, Malayalam is considered as only one of the two official languages. Subsequently, the Kerala Government has issued several orders to change the official language from English to Malayalam. But it is difficult to implement these orders as long as the Official Language Act is not amended in favour of Malayalam. Moreover, government officials who have no Malayalam background will always be against a changeover to Malayalam. In other southern States, working knowledge in native (regional) language is an essential qualification for appointment in government jobs. All northern States have their own language policy very similar to this. But in Kerala, working knowledge in Malayalam is not considered an essential qualification for getting government employment. Save Malayalam If things go on like this, Kerala's mother tongue will get more and more neglected and as a result, in the long run, it would become extinct. Death of a language takes place when its importance diminishes in the day-to-day affairs. Sanskrit is a classic example. As a first step, standardisation of Malayalam language has to be taken up by the Government. While implementing the standardised form of Malayalam, certain points are to be considered for the desired result. In this language, the same word can be written in different styles, using different characters. `Adhyapakan' (teacher), `vidyarthi' (student), `thalparyam' (liking), `silpam' (sculpture), etc., are common examples in this context. Students at the primary level are the most affected. Faced with this, they become more and more confused. We frequently come across this confusion in magazines, newspapers and even in textbooks. To overcome this, Malayalam should be standardised by accepting a specific spelling for every word. If everybody accepts this form of standardisation, computer word processing in Malayalam would become easy. A Unicode system in computers would come into force, which also provides spell checking of Malayalam words. Stylebook Recently, the Kerala Language Institute took the initiative to standardise Malayalam and published a stylebook. According to the stylebook, the number of characters is reduced considerably and this is very convenient, especially for Malayalam learners. Being a space saving style, this is advantageous to the print media also. The State Government should take the responsibility to popularise this kind of standardised language system though various methods. Government textbooks, newspapers and magazines should be printed according to this system. The Government's communications including the advertisements should be released using this style only. Secondly, Malayalam should be considered a compulsory first language in the field of education. The Kerala Official Language Act should be amended so as to elevate Malayalam as the only official language. The Kerala Public Service Commission's examinations for selecting government employees should be conducted in Malayalam and working knowledge in Malayalam should be made compulsory while selecting candidates. Also, the language of the judiciary in Kerala should be none other than Malayalam. Before concluding this article, I wish to mention about a wrong notion that probably prevails among Keralites: "Those who write about the importance of Malayalam (mother tongue) must be against other languages, particularly English." This is not so. We should learn as many languages as we can and we have to develop our communication skills through acquiring a variety of languages. That does not mean that we should ignore our mother tongue. If the Government, universities, politicians, intellectuals and the common man do not take wilful steps to promote Malayalam language, its fate would become bleak and it must face a natural death in the not very distant future. http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/30/stories/2004093007090500.htm (The writer is a poet and short-story writer.) |
|
| << September30, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]Politics in Demographics |
September30, 2004 - [India Thinkers Net]PWG WATCH: >> |
|
India Thinkers Net Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on India Thinkers Net |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |