Learn to read & write maximum languages: Gulzar

Every Indian should know minimum three languages – the mother tongue, national language Hindi and global language English, said eminent poet and lyricist Gulzar.

He was speaking after releasing three books by journalist Sandesh Prabhudesai, ‘Taalgadi’ in Konkani, ‘Ghusamat’ in Marathi and ‘Clear Cut’ in English at the Goa Arts and Literary Festival here.

Chairing the session on ‘Language Connections’, Gulzar also appealed to all not only learn to speak many languages but also to write and read it.

He lauded the experiment of Prabhudesai to release three books in three different languages, which are not translations but original creations.

Being a person having mastery over several languages, Gulzar also said learning several languages helps to grasp diverse cultures of the linguistic societies.

Participating in the seminar “Judti Jubane, Jodti Jubane, the panelists from different parts of India also expressed their opinions.

Chris Money-Singh (Singapore)

I am an Australian who has adopted the Sikh religion and live in Singapore, which has four official languages and several other languages spoken in the country. This has prompted me to learn different languages, including Punjabi and I am exposed to different facets of the linguistics societies.

Arupa Patangia Kaltia (Assam)

Multilingualism is the heritage of Assam and we are trying hard to preserve it. It is a good sign that the younger generation of Assam today is trying to learn different languages spoken in Assam and find their roots through it.

But this should not lead to linguistic chauvinism nor should any particular language try to be superior to others. Both are equally dangerous. Let hundred flowers bloom.

Neeraja Muttoo (Jammu & Kashmir)

There may be regional quarrels in J&K but there are no languages quarrels. Urdu is the official language but it is nobody’s mother tongue. Literature, especially short stories, is created in all the languages. We are naturally trilingual – Farsi, Dogri and Kashmiri. But today’s generation is shying away from speaking Kashmiri, which is a matter of concern.

Datta Damodar Naik (Goa)

We need to learn from Pondicherry, which teaches five languages in the schools. It is English, Hindi, Sanskrit, mother tongue and one foreign language, either French or some other language. Goa should follow a similar pattern, as we also have a tradition of multilingual society. Knowing different languages also helps in coining new words in one’s languages, by borrowing good words from other languages.

Vishram Gupte (Goa)

In India, there is poetic of language and also politics of language. This has also led to identity politics, harming development of multilingual society. Last two decades have been extremely difficult for the development of multilingualism in the society. We need to do away with this hypocrisy, otherwise so called multilingualism will not reach anywhere. Everybody should be given right to identity, without politicizing the issue.

Sandesh Prabhudesai

Goa is going away from its multilingual tradition very fast. The generation of ‘60s knew five to six languages, including Portuguese, English, Konkani, Marathi and Hindi. The generation next was deprived of learning Portuguese, thus reduced to trilingual tradition of Konkani, Marathi and English, besides knowing to speak Hindi. But today’s generation is becoming monolingual, where language hate is getting developed in the younger generation. This needs to be arrested immediately, to save Goa from fading away from its multilingual tradition.

Eminent Goan writer Damodar Mauzo welcomed and introduced the panelists.

Dinesh Manerkar of Sanjana Publications and Rama Harmalkar of Broadways Publishing House were presented the released books at the hands of Gulzar.

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