Little Lily
went to attend a meeting with her parents.
The venue was a historical building.
Visitors were admiring a wooden door.
Letters had been beautifully carved.
The language was not familiar.
The text was not legible.
There was a huge lock on the door.
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| Prompt- Roger Bultot |
It is said- "As in Rome, do as the Romans do."
Anywhere in the world, can we speak the way we generally do?
We speak to be understood.
We speak to convey our feelings.
If we are in Rome, Tokyo, Lima, or Timbuktoo, we must speak the local language to be understood.
I came across this article in the Economic Times earlier-
"When In Venice, Do As The Bengalis Do"-
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/when-in-venice-do-speak-as-the-bengalis-do/articleshow/114177255.cms?
In this article, the writer mentions about Rabindra Sangeet too.
But, look at the spelling mentioned-
"Robindrosongeet"
Sri Rabindra Nath Tagore composed and promoted Rabindra Sangeet.
However, the pronunciation and spelling used as as shared in the above news report.
"The explosion of media over the past two decades means local stories can be told in local languages at a mass level in ways that was impossible in the past.
In print. On radio. On TV. Online. On digital video. Even on hoardings. As the regional language pipes grow, brands have wonderful new avenues via which they can speak to their consumers.
Festival of Indian Languages (FOIL) is a conference that will try to paint the linguistic patchwork that keeps together the magical idea of India.
Are we tapping all the opportunities that localisation of language offers? What more could we do? FOIL is the first such multimedia conference in the country that explores the power of local languages in mass media. It has been organised by afaqs!"
Languages are special.
Languages keep us connected.
They truly provide a "linguistic patchwork."
Last week, I had shared how an upcoming Hindi movie's team did not feel it essential to showcase the sixth classical language of India - Odia, though they had well planned, projected and shown almost all the other official languages of India.
India has 22 official languages.
This week, it is great to see the Indian Bandhgala of the Information & Broadcasting Minister, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur.
It is a wonderful concept and showcases "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat"- One India, Best India.
India boasts of 'unity in diversity".
There are six buttons where engraving has been done in six regional languages namely-
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| Source |
Some Quiz Questions about the Official Languages of India
1. How many official languages does India now have?
2. Which Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists the official languages?
3. At the time of writing the Constitution of India, how many languages were mentioned?
4. Is Hindi the "National Language of India"?
5. Is Hindi an official language of India?
6. Is English an official language of India?
7. How many classical languages are there in India?
8. Which was the last language to earn the classical language status?
9. Which was the first state of India to be formed on linguistic basis?
10. In which year was the first state formed on the basis on language?
Do you know the answers to the above ten questions?
Consider this case-
There is a school excursion. The
headmaster had invited most of the students for the outing.
All the invited students had a great
time together and were a part of the group video. That was shared via social
media by the star student and generated great excitement.
However, the few students, who had
not been invited for the excursion, saw the video and felt hurt as they had
been left out. Why did the headmaster or the teachers not include them?
They were not sure whether this had
been done intentionally or unintentionally by the headmaster. Why did the
headmaster or staff treat them differently than the rest of the class?
The ignored students and their
supporters publicly confronted and complained to the headmaster, the staff and
the star student involved. The aggrieved students threatened that they would
adopt non-cooperation and boycott classes.
Seeing the quick condemnation,
social media outrage, and the deluge of posts regarding this issue, the
school-staff including the headmaster feared the loss of face and revenue i.e.
school-fees. What if the ignored students really decided to quit school?
February 21st is celebrated as "International Mother Language Day".
What is the meaning of mangalacharanam?
In which place was the Mahabharata composed?
How many seasons have been described by
Kalidasa in his epic Ritusamhara?
What are the four vedas and the four
upavedas?
What does Mrichhakatikam mean?
Are spirituality and religion the same
thing?
Who compiled the Bhagavata Mahapurana?
If these questions teased your
brain-cells, and you are unable to retrieve the answers, it is time to pick up
this informative book about Sanskrit language and texts-
The Beauty of Sanskrit Language and Texts is written by Durga Prasad Dash.
It
is one of the eBooks launched by the Blogchatter EBook Carnival this year.
Sanskrit is one of the most ancient languages of the world. It was the language of the intellectuals of India, prior to the Mughal invasion and reign. India has one of the most manuscripts in the world. Sanskrit texts are treasure-houses of India’s ancient wisdom. However, many of us are unaware. Many Indians have never studied Sanskrit in school. Had the British not interfered with our education system, we would perhaps have devoted more time and interest in studying this.
The salesman had worn a T-shirt
that read- "Just Do It!"
Seeing that I approached his T-shirt
shop in the foreign land where few spoke English.
I confidently began to converse
in English.
His blank face expressed his
inability to understand.
I picked an attractive red
T-shirt with graffiti in the local language.
The price was mentioned.
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