Multi-speak - The new order of the globe!
Hi there,
I usually shop at a joint near my home. I had always conversed with the shopkeeper in Tamil, the native tongue. This week I had a different experience. A couple of shoppers had come to buy some stuff, and they were inquiring about an item in Hindi, their mother tongue. The shopkeeper-friend stood tongue-tied. I pitched-in with my broken Hindi, and helped them converse.
A small incident this, but it set me thinking on the need to learn languages. The more we learn, I think, the merrier. I could not stop thinking about Barathi who had fallen in love with Shelley's works; thanks to his mastery over English. He did not stop with that. The list of languages he had mastered featured Bengali, Sanskrit, Kutchi and French. His literary works in French had raised the brows of learned Frenchmen. Till date, Barathi stands tall as the sole role-model for true learners in this part of the world. I personally view him as a mix of Socrates, Wooden and Gardner.
Mastery over multiple languages was truly instrumental in transforming this village-lad into a literary giant.
When I see my little friends in the neighborhood learning Hindi, I realize that they are in the process of expanding their universe. At the same time, I feel pained when I know that millions of fellow-Indians, dwelling in thousands of Indian villages and towns, lead a frog-in-the-well existence. They make no efforts to learn the common language spoken in India. Also, the way English is taught to them leaves much to be desired. If I were to have the power, I would hve every kid to learn (apart from his / her mother tongue) English, Hindi and one other foreign language (preferably Chinese).
After all, aren't words the carriers of thoughts? And, aren't thoughts the chisel that shapes our lives?
Luv,
Vijay
I usually shop at a joint near my home. I had always conversed with the shopkeeper in Tamil, the native tongue. This week I had a different experience. A couple of shoppers had come to buy some stuff, and they were inquiring about an item in Hindi, their mother tongue. The shopkeeper-friend stood tongue-tied. I pitched-in with my broken Hindi, and helped them converse.
A small incident this, but it set me thinking on the need to learn languages. The more we learn, I think, the merrier. I could not stop thinking about Barathi who had fallen in love with Shelley's works; thanks to his mastery over English. He did not stop with that. The list of languages he had mastered featured Bengali, Sanskrit, Kutchi and French. His literary works in French had raised the brows of learned Frenchmen. Till date, Barathi stands tall as the sole role-model for true learners in this part of the world. I personally view him as a mix of Socrates, Wooden and Gardner.
Mastery over multiple languages was truly instrumental in transforming this village-lad into a literary giant.
When I see my little friends in the neighborhood learning Hindi, I realize that they are in the process of expanding their universe. At the same time, I feel pained when I know that millions of fellow-Indians, dwelling in thousands of Indian villages and towns, lead a frog-in-the-well existence. They make no efforts to learn the common language spoken in India. Also, the way English is taught to them leaves much to be desired. If I were to have the power, I would hve every kid to learn (apart from his / her mother tongue) English, Hindi and one other foreign language (preferably Chinese).
After all, aren't words the carriers of thoughts? And, aren't thoughts the chisel that shapes our lives?
Luv,
Vijay
posted by Vijay at 7:26 PM
1 comments
