Hindi continues to be the language of our heart but we have failed to make it the 'language of livelihood' ( pet ki bhasha ), Goa Governor Mridula Sinha has said.
“Unless we dispel a popular perception that English is the only language of livelihood and make concerted efforts to make Hindi a language which earns livelihood, Hindi and regional languages will continue to suffer comparative neglect,” cautioned Ms. Sinha, who is a prolific writer in Hindi and its strong votary.
She was speaking at a panel discussion on “Changing India: role of Hindi” at the Goa Art and Literary Festival organised on Friday by the International Centre Goa.
The Governor said a language reflects one’s culture, identity and nationalism. How well it thrives depends entirely on the people who speak that language. It cannot prosper only from the efforts of governments.
It was common to see illiterate or less educated parents aspire to give English education to their children, for English continues to dominate employment and income-generation situations.
She recalled that when she arrived in Goa she was told that she would have to speak in English. “Only my mind works when I speak in English. When I speak in Hindi, my heart begins to work!”
About the situation in the country in regard to Hindi and regional languages, Ms. Sinha regretted that early education neglected teaching in Hindi, the mother tongue or regional languages. Many people wrongly believed that they came across as intelligent and intellectual when they spoke with others in English.
She “These are wrong perceptions. We must not be afflicted by a sense of inferiority when we interact with others in Hindi [or local language].”
Citing the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said, makes official speeches in Hindi when he goes abroad not because he does not know good English, but to assert India’s language and identity to the world.
Indian labourers who migrated to Mauritius took Bhojpuri with them; many Indian families in the West keep alive Hindi within their families.
No 'English love'
Ms. Mridula Sinha got a hearty laugh from delegates in the packed auditorium when she said her husband is a professor of English but she has never allowed that language to rule their home atmosphere or let him say “I love you” in English.
“If he had said, I would have divorced him,” she said, sending the auditorium into peals of laughter.
