Mother tongue is the foundation of our cultural identity, says Sreenivasa Rao
Secretary of Sahitya Akademi K. Sreenivasa Rao on Friday said that when we speak of preserving languages, we are essentially speaking of preserving mother tongues
Secretary of Sahitya Akademi K. Sreenivasa Rao on Friday said that when we speak of preserving languages, we are essentially speaking of preserving mother tongues since every language is someone’s mother tongue, and it is through the mother tongue that a child first experiences the world. “A mother tongue is much more than a medium of communication. It is the first instrument through which a child understands family, society, culture, and values. It shapes thought, emotion, imagination, and identity. It connects individuals with their history, traditions, literature, philosophy, and spiritual heritage. It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that one’s mother tongue is the foundation of one’s cultural identity,” he said in his address at the 58th Foundation Day of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL).
Rao, who spoke on the topic ‘Bharat: Many Languages, One Nation’, said research in linguistics, psychology, and education consistently demonstrates that children learn concepts most effectively in their mother tongue during their formative years. A strong foundation in the mother tongue also facilitates the acquisition of additional languages later in life. He observed that language is not merely a tool of communication; it is also a repository of culture, memory, identity, and knowledge. CIIL director Basavaraja Kodagunti, deputy director and programme coordinator Umarani Pappuswami, former director Rajesh Sachdeva, former president of the Linguistic Society of India G. Uma Maheshwara Rao and other dignitaries were present. Rao said, “Our mother tongues protect us by preserving our memories, our cultural continuity, and our sense of belonging.
It is therefore our responsibility to protect them in return.” The former Sahitya Akademi Secretary said that many Indians today possess only a limited awareness of this rich linguistic inheritance. Beyond their mother tongue and English, the linguistic traditions of the rest of the country often remain unfamiliar. This is an unfortunate reality that deserves our serious attention, he said. “I wish this were not so. Yet acknowledging the problem is the first step towards addressing it. We may differ on the extent of the challenge, but I believe there is little disagreement that we must strive to reconnect with the linguistic wealth of our nation,” he suggested. This issue, he added, is important because languages across the world today face unprecedented challenges.
The BriefWire