Assembly Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad on Thursday expressed anguish over the Centre’s failure to establish a national institution for the promotion of Telugu language on the lines of the Kendriya Hindi Shikshan Mandal (KHSM).
Focus on research needed
Participating as the chief guest at the two-day national seminar on ‘Globalization: Hindi Katha Sahitya,’ organised by Sri Durga Malleswara Siddhartha Mahila Kalasala here, he said one of the main objectives of the KHSM was to provide more facilities for research on Hindi and added that the same initiative was lacking when it came to the promotion of Telugu language.
“We request the government to establish a national institute for the promotion of Telugu.
“It is important, as two Telugu speaking States have been established now,” he said.
Underscoring the need to protect the culture, he said use of Telugu was on the decline. “Some families are hesitant to speak in our mother tongue. It is a disturbing trend,” he said.
SCR initiative
Speaking on the occasion, South Central Railway (SCR) Vijayawada Divisional Manager Pradeep Kumar said the SCR was displaying names of the stations first in Telugu and then in Hindi and English.
“There is reluctance among people in Vijayawada to speak in Hindi even though the issue is not as serious as in neighbouring Tamil Nadu,” he added.
Representatives of the University of Hyderabad, Dakshina Bharata Rajabasha Samsthanam in Visakhapatnam, Kakatiya University in Warangal, Film Research Institute in Hyderabad, Andhra Loyola College in Vijayawada, Kanchi Deemed University and Pondicherry University will participate in the two day seminar.
