Can’t definitely keep quiet. And that too after having been urged by Sid to stand up and speak! Only thing is there are no stool to stand up and my audience even more miniscule and my language even less provocative.
Jokes apart, it has always pained me as much as Sid when I look at the linguistic chauvinism. Not specifically in favor of English though. The way English is spoken in various languages in this country; I have always felt that we have missed a great revolutionary opportunity to talk English and chased the British back. The world would have seen a new form of Himsa that is based on Ahimsa. But for the discerning few in the country that drive against English is definitely a sad thing. Somewhere, people discover artificial hard-ons on these issues. Maybe there is nothing to do or the things to do are too difficult to accomplish, they choose these insipid areas to display fervor and patriotism.
I for one would join this gang if it were against Hindi, despite my condemnation of this. Mainly because that, Hindi is as much a foreign language as English to me!! And I speak a language that is richer and older. And all these pseudo-intellectuals, politicians should just for a moment think, if language was replaced by religion what will happen to this country and their stance. Hindi, according to me is spoken by a majority of people living in this country and so I am expected to understand about it and talk that. So, since India has majority population of Hindu can the Muslims be expected to follow Hindu customs?? Muslims are vote banks, spread across the country influencing seats, so an untouchable area. Whereas, language is within a particular geography where all parties practice linguistic chauvinism! So, it becomes even. What a huge shame?
The opportunities for people is going to be higher and better only if they know more languages and I always regret the fact I don’t speak Hindi despite my hatred towards its imposition. And what are these Bangaloreans going to do? By pushing Kannada at a time when Oxford Dictionary has included a word called ‘ Bangalored’ that means losing a job in USA because of outsourcing that happens to Bangalore. Do the stupid, school dropout politicians and self styled guardians of languages know that? Do they know that whatever little infrastructure Bangalore has comes mostly from the money that is generated from the BPO’s who makes ‘Bangalored’ possible!!!
But sometimes I feel that it is simply up to us to cure these ills. I refuse to speak in a language people understand, if they speak in a language I don’t understand. And it becomes one tower of Babel. Ultimately someone has to give up. In reality there are two languages in the world. Love & Money. I am absolutely comfortable with the Gujju’s because they understand the second one. And when I was in Srilanka felt so because of the first one.
These two are universal languages and we bloody well should learn. And ironically, if money is understood and is available in plenty, these jokers who foment trouble would have no time for that.
Unless we demand clear stances from political parties on various issues like they do in the US, we would just have a shame of a democracy. Like what we saw at Madurai yesterday. A mob that can’t tolerate a survey result and is being herded by the powers that be!!!! God help India and God help us.
Jokes apart, it has always pained me as much as Sid when I look at the linguistic chauvinism. Not specifically in favor of English though. The way English is spoken in various languages in this country; I have always felt that we have missed a great revolutionary opportunity to talk English and chased the British back. The world would have seen a new form of Himsa that is based on Ahimsa. But for the discerning few in the country that drive against English is definitely a sad thing. Somewhere, people discover artificial hard-ons on these issues. Maybe there is nothing to do or the things to do are too difficult to accomplish, they choose these insipid areas to display fervor and patriotism.
I for one would join this gang if it were against Hindi, despite my condemnation of this. Mainly because that, Hindi is as much a foreign language as English to me!! And I speak a language that is richer and older. And all these pseudo-intellectuals, politicians should just for a moment think, if language was replaced by religion what will happen to this country and their stance. Hindi, according to me is spoken by a majority of people living in this country and so I am expected to understand about it and talk that. So, since India has majority population of Hindu can the Muslims be expected to follow Hindu customs?? Muslims are vote banks, spread across the country influencing seats, so an untouchable area. Whereas, language is within a particular geography where all parties practice linguistic chauvinism! So, it becomes even. What a huge shame?
The opportunities for people is going to be higher and better only if they know more languages and I always regret the fact I don’t speak Hindi despite my hatred towards its imposition. And what are these Bangaloreans going to do? By pushing Kannada at a time when Oxford Dictionary has included a word called ‘ Bangalored’ that means losing a job in USA because of outsourcing that happens to Bangalore. Do the stupid, school dropout politicians and self styled guardians of languages know that? Do they know that whatever little infrastructure Bangalore has comes mostly from the money that is generated from the BPO’s who makes ‘Bangalored’ possible!!!
But sometimes I feel that it is simply up to us to cure these ills. I refuse to speak in a language people understand, if they speak in a language I don’t understand. And it becomes one tower of Babel. Ultimately someone has to give up. In reality there are two languages in the world. Love & Money. I am absolutely comfortable with the Gujju’s because they understand the second one. And when I was in Srilanka felt so because of the first one.
These two are universal languages and we bloody well should learn. And ironically, if money is understood and is available in plenty, these jokers who foment trouble would have no time for that.
Unless we demand clear stances from political parties on various issues like they do in the US, we would just have a shame of a democracy. Like what we saw at Madurai yesterday. A mob that can’t tolerate a survey result and is being herded by the powers that be!!!! God help India and God help us.
4 comments:
u are absolutely right about love and money being universal languages. Also can't agree with you more on people fancying themselves as guradians of the language and what not.Whats' the point in holding on to anything thats not your own, never was, never will be????
u are absolutely right about love and money being universal languages. Also can't agree with you more on people fancying themselves as guradians of the language and what not.Whats' the point in holding on to anything thats not your own, never was, never will be????
What hurts the most is that with enough real issues fester accross the country, our Political masters & lords are busy haw-hamming on what books and movies to ban , which languages to clamp down on, which cities to re-name... all this while farmers commit suicide!
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