Letters: Language and values

This refers to Nilanjana S Roy's column "A thousand tongues" (Speaking Volumes, March 31). India is a polyglot nation, which is a great blessing. If people make an effort, they can learn other Indian languages as well, including those from the south. Language can be a passionate issue at a personal level but can be contentious in the public domain. C Rajagopalachari, the great patriot and statesman, rightly observed that "India is not like other smaller countries where there is a single language and a single faith. We have multiplicity of languages and faiths."

We need to take a leaf out of China's policy towards its linguistic minorities, which have a similar diversity like India. It has recently directed its officials to learn the local languages and be more receptive to their ideas and languages. One ardently hopes that our current leaders remember India's pluralistic heritage. English is very much an Indian language, with its own Indianised glossary. It will be short-sighted on our part to emphasise one language over the many our nation is blessed with. The issue, therefore, is not only about local languages but providing a level playing field to all languages.

H N Ramakrishna Bengaluru

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