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For The Love Of My Language

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by jskls, Aug 8, 2019.

  1. jskls

    jskls IL Hall of Fame

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    After each India trip my thoughts will be filled with all that I miss living abroad. For a change this time I was missing my regional language in my own state. When I was finishing the immigration formalities at departure, immigration officer was noticing my kids speaking the regional language. He asked how we managed to teach the language to our kids. We were briefly sharing our complicated language setup at home. My kids are exposed to 4-5 languages and we still managed to teach them one proficiently. He said these days regional languages are spoken only outside the region. This made me recollect all that I had observed in the whole trip.

    We did a lot of traveling from Chennai to southern most tip of India. Mostly visited places of historical importance that my kids learned in their language school. When we were visiting an important monument, I heard the guide speaking in hindi about the place. That was my first shock. One might wonder why? I am in southern most city of Tamilnadu surrounded by 98% Tamil speaking people while I am being told about the place in Hindi and that too a monument that was raised for a great contributor of Tamil language. When leaving the guestbook comment, I mentioned that guide could have spoken in the regional language too in addition to hindi. I was told that guide could have mistook me for a north Indian. Really !!! I look like a typical south Indian. Give me a break I thought and left. .

    Then I started noticing that all along the journey (750 Kms) in hotels where we ate people who took our order or served us did not speak tamil. In places where we stayed the service people did not speak tamil. Generally I would tell my kids to read the place names along the way or the name boards in tamil so that they could brush up some language skills.That was a rare sight. I was happy to see a bus with a word சிற்றுந்து meaning mini-bus in Hosur. That was my only consolation. Wherever I went I was speaking in Hindi to communicate so much that my kids started saying you should have taught us HIndi too. When visiting my friend in Bangalore she said isn’t it a great way to put your linguistic skills to use? I never thought I would be speaking hindi in my own regional state of Tamilnadu. It was not just tourist spots but hotels like A2B in T.Nagar, Chennai also had non-tamil speaking service people. Wherever I heard Tamil was spoken with lot of english words in it except for the Tamil news. Most watched TV programs are the worst to adulterate the language.

    Migration happens all the time. We have migrated too far west. When we moved here we brought our culture our language with us. We taught our kids our regional language apart from the language that is required to live in this country. Of course, English is the first language here. I am not against migration but in my own country within the state, where did my regional language go? As the immigration officer said, Will my language only be spoken outside its own region?

    This post is not to offend anyone or against Hindi or any other language. @Venkat20 's comment somewhere ஒரு மொழி அழிந்தால் ஒரு இனம் அழியும் ! meaning “If a language goes extinct a species will be destroyed” made me share my experience. Though I am happy to communicate in Hindi, it makes me sad to do so in my own Tamil speaking state and everyone locally has accepted to live with it. For the love of my language all I can do(now) is get down to business and continue teaching my regional language(at the basic level) in a foreign land.

    P.S: my mother tongue is not Tamil
     
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  2. shravs3

    shravs3 IL Hall of Fame

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    So bad isn’t it? I feel the same thing when I’m in Bangalore
     
  3. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    It is not surprising. If you closely observe the the hotel housekeeping and other lower level staff may be from far off UP or Bengal or even Bangladesh calling themselves Bengali. It so happens that these so called lower jobs are not normally taken by locals. The outsiders are also willing to work at lower wages. We also know that Tamil is a tough language to learn. It is the same as Mexicans in the USA or Polish in UK or Malabaries in UAE.
    As for Guides they speak in local as well as national and international languages and that is expected of them because they have to deal with people from different backgrounds as tourists.
    I am really happy that your children can speak in their mother tongue. Kudos.
     
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  4. periamma

    periamma IL Hall of Fame

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    @jskls Glad that you had a pleasant travel in India..May be they might have concluded that you are from other state.were you in traditional dress or other style?They speak Tamil with Malayalam accent .Speaking in Tamil or writing in Tamil seems a great sin nowadays.
     
  5. Venkat20

    Venkat20 Gold IL'ite

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    I am really proud to have a friend like you. The last line is very much impressed and I wish to follow the same, let me work out on this. Thanks for reading my post and remembering the good message. This is not only for Tamil Language suitable for all regional languages. Lanugage also is not only for communication it carries our tradition and culture to the world. I request everyone must follow the Mother Touge and c arry to our next generation. I have posted a video link in a thread Devotional songs.

    Just sharing my emotion Please see that a Chinese guy how professionally singing "Thiruvasagam" yesterday when i watch the complete 1-hour program at the end my eyes are full of tears. @jskls @periamma @Anusha2917
     
  6. Anusha2917

    Anusha2917 IL Hall of Fame

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    One thing even I noticed is unlike before TN is now more open in terms of accepting people from other states. During my last visit I was telling the same to my husband how so many Hindi speaking crowd (like you mentioned in A2B etc) are now seen in TN. All these people from other parts of India are there to make a living which is a good thing :)

    If you come to Bangalore you can see all other language people more than Kannada speaking people.
    Hindi, Tamil, Telugu all languages . We are a diverse country with various languages and culture . As long as respect exists in the society for other language and state people we should not be worried . :)
     
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  7. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    The greatness of Tamil will be spoken by politicians only in Dravidian party meetings. You are correct. In Chennai we find many people speaking Hindi.What Shri Harilakhera has pointed out is of great significance. If you see any big construction site , from the top boss to workers-many are from Bihar, Manipur .If you get admitted in a big corporate hospital you will listen only to Hindi from doctors to nurse.Tamil will survive as long as people like jskls are in the forefront.Reminded of a small feature film'Tamil ini mella saagaum'
    jayasala42
     
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  8. stayblessed

    stayblessed Platinum IL'ite

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    So nice of you to teach many languages to your kids. The problem with the immigrants is they aren't expected to learn the local language instead the locals are made to speak their language then how the local regional languages will thrive. Everywhere people think it's enough to learn Hindi there lies the problem. People should learn the local language of the state where they work that way all languages would survive. But god bless Congress and BJP who have given complete importance to Hindi and slowly killed the other languages. People also don't realise the importance of a language. Sad state of affairs.
     
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  9. stayblessed

    stayblessed Platinum IL'ite

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    If a single language is kept on a higher pedestal then how can we say respect exist for all the people. I have seen many Hindi speaking people arrogantly claiming Hindi is the national language and that it has to be learnt by all the people irrespective of which state they belong to. This arrogance and entitlement comes because Hindi is widely being propagated for political gains. A language among many other things is part of a person's identity. If an identity is tried to be snatched then where is respect.
     
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  10. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:I am happy for your kids that they could speak Tamil. I read somewhere children at playable age can learn as many as twelve languages.
    latest news is

    Mamtha Banerjee in Chennai attended the memory day of late Dmk architect karunanidhi and began her speech in chaste tamil. Tamil lyricist VARAMUTHHU SPEAKS chaste Tamil.
    Yes only politicians speaks their native language and regional language wherever they are.

    With advent of information technology and colossal funds from NRIs invested in real estate, the character of Tamil Nadu and its chief metros including Chennai have acquired cosmopolitan character in the same manner as Mumbai (Bombay) in Maharashtra acquired cosmopolitan outlook few decades ago.

    When I went to Then Bombay in 1960s, I could neither speak my tongue tamil to any one nor their local language Marathi and the Hindi they spoke to me is corrupt one. When I spoke Bombay Hindi in Nagpur & in New Delhi, they looked at me askance . If I
    respond to them in English , I frequently heard them saying "Hum ko malum nahi”. People seemed pleased and respond positively if we speak their language.

    It is also true locals like to speak foreigner's language to a foreigner to impress the onlookers. It is equally true that speaking mother tongue outside home is considered beneath one's dignity .
    In tamilnadu commercial activities acquired cosmopolitan character and their staff are outsiders and speak Hindi besides Tamil.
    I am glad to note your love for speaking Tamil though it is not your mother tongue.
    God bless.
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2019
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