In his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the country as the ‘“treasure house” of many languages and the rich diversity it has as its hallmark. Referring to India’s humongous diversity of languages, dressing, cuisine and culture, Modi said, “Our country is a rich treasure house of languages, scripts and dialects. Varied attire, cuisine and culture in different regions are our hallmark. As a nation, this diversity strengthens us and keeps us united.”
As usual, the prime minister shared some inspiring stories on his ‘Mann Ki Baat’. Alluding to the effort Kalpana, originally from Joshimath in Uttarakhand, put in to learn Kannada, he lauded her for scoring 92 marks in high school. Kalpana, he informed his listeners, had no idea what Kannada was all about, but learned the language in three months to achieve the feat. Lauding Kalpana for her achievement, Modi said, “Where there is a will, there is a way.”
Acknowledging the effort some Indians are making to preserve and promote
their native languages, thus strengthening the linguistic diversity of the country, he alluded to the work done by Shripati Tudu, a professor of Santhali language at Sidho-Kaano-Birsa University in Purulia. The professor has made a version of the Indian Constitution in his native ‘Ol Chiki’ script for the Santhali community, the PM informed. The professor from Purulia knows it well that the Constitution makes every citizen aware of their rights and duties. It is important for every citizen to know it well. Praising professor Tudu, the PM added, “Therefore, he prepared a copy of the Constitution in his own script for the Santhali community and offered it as a gift.”
According to a report published by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner a decade back, the country spoke more than 19,500 languages or dialects. Apart from 22 scheduled languages, there are 270 identifiable mother tongues spoken by Indians.
Three days back when the prime minister was on a visit to Tamil Nadu on May 27, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had in a public programme sought to make Tamil an official language, to be treated equally with Hindi. In April, Stalin had opposed the imposition of Hindi as a national language, when there was talk of making one in some quarters. Laying such fears to rest, the prime minister termed the Tamil as an ‘eternal’ language.
Through his talk on the sensitive issue, the prime minister, it appears, has reassured in his own style the speakers of various mother tongues across the country.