LANGUAGE- ALCHEMIST OF CULTURE by Saikrit Gulati

LANGUAGE- ALCHEMIST OF CULTURE

When a person conveys to you in English a basic question, “What is the secret of your teeth and how old are you?,” you will surely give him the number of summer seasons that you have witnessed until now. In simple terms, the very number that is your age. But, if you answer in the Hindi Language, “Saahib, There are no large animals here and occasionally, cheetahs and jackals stray in,” it is sure that seldom will someone be able to suppress a laugh at this. Perhaps, this might never have happened with you but it has certainly taken place in the legendary and vast universe of R.K. Narayanan, acclaimed Indian writer. A story of his has beautifully captured the very quintessence of languages as a whole.

We all have heard of the importance of language as being the only Earthly species to be able to communicate so much that it has now been reduced to mere cliché. We take our linguistic hat for granted and needless to say, the present era has truly and undoubtedly been marred by a reduction in the scholars of Indian languages. We have taken and have clung on to the past colonial mindset which has no issues in wholeheartedly admitting the English race as superior and we, the Indian blood, as inferior to their ways. In this rat race, English has emerged to the forefront while Indian languages have been lost only in the annals of History and of the manuscripts. Language is not just a way of speaking but also a form of life. What would life have been if we couldn’t even express our feelings to one another. Nothing could have been done- writing, reading or even speaking without the very fabric of human lives- languages.

There was a time when being able to speak various languages eloquently and perfectly, in a scholarly manner, increasingly became a subject of repute. India, itself, has been the brainchild of the world’s best arts and some of the most extensive languages. Each person identifies language as his own identity and birthright. Your mother tongue is what defines you- it is just like the micro-chip from which tremendous amounts of data about the various facets of your life emerge. To explain the importance of languages is similar to answer a question which everybody knows but cannot put in words, just like answering a question like why do you love or hate reading or writing. Languages are fundamental to human life and are simply at the heart of our mere existence. Across cultures, people have used languages as a powerful tool to express ideas, to impart knowledge and to generate and invoke human love and hatred. So, it is simply nothing to wonder that today’s English has an immense number of idioms which emerged from languages. In this regard, “The Power of the Pen is greater than the Sword,” is a very fine example here. Today’s cultures are truly a confluence of the languages that were made many years ago and are still undergoing great evolution. Indian cultures have perennially been based on new teachings and ideas and perhaps, it is no wonder that without a language to communicate these ideas, these cultures would have lay bare and effete. These languages have always been the tool of conveying beliefs and very often, dissent and without them we wouldn’t have reached the pinnacle of civilization so early in our nation’s rocky journey. From languages emerges a sense of belonging. These give birth to national pride, in any nation across the globe.

However, lost in today’s youth world of Instagram and slangs, these languages are still having to battle hard to stay relevant. Their relevance might indeed go unquestioned but impatient and hot-headed youngsters of today are often dismissive about linguistics now. Being school-going myself, I wholeheartedly attempt to be in touch with our languages but am often brought face-to-face with the stark reality of today, which is that languages are no longer as revered as they used to be. The brazen culture of India’s brain drain might have left us without any roots in our motherland but it is high time to change that. Our culture and its very existence today lays a clarion call for the preservation of our languages. Saving our languages is saving our entire culture and forgetting our very own mother tongues is simply another invitation card to our customs’ doom.

Saikrit Gulati

Class- 9

Chandigarh

Tel. 7743098455