Language is the greatest invention ever as other discoveries would not have been propagated without it, writer Madampu Kunjukuttan has said.
Inaugurating the valedictory function of Reading Week celebrations organised by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) at the College of Horticulture (CoH), Vellanikara, he pointed out that sincere efforts were required to save the Malayalam language.
“If the mother tongue of more than three crore people with hundred per cent literacy is under threat, it is definitely not because of lack of celebrations. Celebrations like Reading Day or Reading Week will not save the language. Devoting a day for father, another for mother, yet another for nature or language is not Indian culture. Reading is a daily activity and cannot be confined to occasions. Knowledge and language are mutually complementary. Those who seek knowledge should read and reading will enrich writing, thereby strengthening the language,” he said.
Jose Joseph, KAU Executive Committee member, presided over. Jim Thomas, Associate Director, delivered the keynote address on ‘Knowledge and Food safety’. University librarian A.T. Francis, CoH Associate Dean Koshy Abraham, Administrative Officer V.N. Narayanan, Academic Library Association representative K.D. Anto, CoH students’ union secretary P. Arunjith, Readers’ Forum convener Anagha S. Nambeesan and V.S. Swapna spoke.
