Today we had an interesting discussion around speaking, reading, writing Indian languages. I realized that many people in my generation do not really know how to read & write Indian languages including Hindi. Also their spoken languages are flooded with English words. It kind of made me sad because Indian languages do have very rich literature & sweetness of their own. It surprised me because I do know how to read/write/speak Hindi, Marathi & Gujarati. I can read & write Sanskrit but can’t really speak because of lack of practice.
The most educated people of Indian society are shying away from using our local languages and switching their interactions to English. That’s sad because the educated ones are supposed to nurture languages & knowledge. If we lose the ability to read, write & eventually even speak them purely then we would be doing the biggest dis-service to future generations. We are currently depriving ourselves of knowledge & literature documented in these languages. And chances are – at a later date – some foreigners will come – learn these languages and RE-SELL our own heritage to us – exactly the way its happening in case of Yoga.
I have decided – I’m going to try & speak Sanskrit – it will require some practice. Also I’m going to learn one more Indian Language – Bengali. And also teach Marathi to my wife.
