Wednesday, November 26, 2014

The Big Language Debate

Had a very sincere debate with my friend today about the state of regional languages and adoption of Hindi as common 2nd language at every state.

These are the common questions:

1. Shouldn't we encourage Hindi as the 2nd language instead of a foreign language like English to be the lingua franca of the country? 
2. But would that kill the regional language?
3. Why don't we do something to protect the regional languages from dying?

To answer the first question,
Lets first understand that our regional languages, irrespective of the adoption of Hindi as a second language or not, are anyways dying a terrible death, infact the survival of Hindi in itself is a question.

Please understand, when the regional languages, inspite of being the first language, are facing an imminent death, how logical is it to promote Hindi to the 2nd language position in any state?

Lets face it, all our Indian languages are losing the war against English without even fighting!

So, why and how is it that an alien language winning the war so easily? is it all the conspiracy of the English?

To quote my own story, I studied English as my second language from LKG till Engineering, thats 18 long years and at the end of it, I still was not even an inch closer to talking a single sentence in English! But look at me now, not just speaking also have grown enough to communicate through blogs, fb, twitter...what not...keeping aside some grammar? how did it all happen?

 Its so simple, I couldn't have earned my living had I not progressed in the language!

If tomorrow, there is a new Amazon or Google or Facebook or Samsung or Apple from Tamilnadu that uses a prog Lang like Java which works on Tamil instead of English, who is ready to pay >=$200K to an employee and has the interview conducted in Tamil, am sure even American and Chinese would run to learn Tamil, just like how ourselves run to learn German, French or Japanese! Applies to Hindi as well ofcourse, you got an Hindi speaking Apple competitor? then you sure could save yourself from injecting Hindi into my schools! I will go learn it on my own cost.

Please see it straight! Schools and Colleges wont help a language survive, its the survival instinct! Open your eyes to see the misplacement of your emotional attachment with the mother and father tongues!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Shout against social injustice!

Why should I support Gopi on Kathi story issue?
This should not be seen as an isolated incident, not even specific to cinema industry. I have personal experience of this in my software field as well.
Let me elaborate and generalize the question, the one who is in a higher position, if expects me to submit my intelligence/efforts to him, and either promises me to take care of my needs which he deems fit or veiling it completely from public instead of acknowledging my intelligence in the respective forum, what should I do?
if I submit before him, I am not just acknowledging myself a coward, but directly encouraging him to do it to many others, helping the creation of a social unwritten protocol, whereby so many others are exploited and looted.
The loss is not just for the victim, it is a loss and insult to everyone who actually moulded the individual with such intelligence, knowledge and skill. And it multiplies when it becomes a socially accepted protocol.
i hope it isnt difficult to understand that an individual could and would gain from so many around him including his parents, friends, relatives, teachers or any well wisher or even the society. Had the victim gained his rightful acknowledgement and credits he sure would have repaid everyone who helped him become who he is. So when you stand down against depriving yourself of the credits you deserve, you directly insult and do injustice to all these who built you. If not for yourself, you have to do stand tall at the least for them against these social harms!
Ok, what if Gopi was proved wrong? Again, its not the question of Gopi, its the question of the society!
Does the society stand for injustice? Does the society shout out loud enough to keep the evils in check?
Fate of the society is decided by its own answer to the above questions!
Let us get out of our comfort zones to help ourselves live in a better atmosphere!