‘‘Save Language Convention’’ held in Chennai

A ‘‘Save Language Convention’’ of the Southern States of India, viz. Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry, was held at the Thyagaraja Hall in Chennai on 17 February to voice strong united protest against imposition of Hindi and other disastrous prescripts of National Education Policy (NEP). Select delegates from the states of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab and West Bengal had also joined in.
The Convention was presided over by former Vice Chancellor and eminent educationist L. Jahar Neshan. Other eminent speakers were Usha Maheswari— distinguished educationist of Tamilnadu, Sachhinandan Sinha, former professor, JNU, A Karunanandan, renowned historian, Dr. Maria Joseph, Secretary, Laila Group of Institutions, Dr Dhrubajyoti Mukherjee, Former HOD, Geology department, Calcutta University and a noted scientist, Professor R. Murli(Telangana), veteran journalist B. Bhaskar(Kerala), Professor A. Chandrasekharan(Andhra), Dr. Maria Joseph (Tamil Nadu), Professor Allamprava Vettaduru (Karnataka) and Dr Tarun Kanti Naskar, General Secretary, All India Save Education Committee.
The speakers held that they were not against Hindi but staunchly oppose forcible imposition of the same for buttressing narrow sectarian political interest and undermining the importance of English, which ought to be learnt alongside mother tongues to have access to higher education, use it for inter-state communication in the country and as a window to the external world. Education must be provided from primary to highest level through the mother tongue; English to continue as the official language and like all other Indian languages also be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution etc. The idea of Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan does not imply patriotism. Expression of love, emotion and feeling of the unified people of the country is patriotism, they asserted.
The convention is destined to provide a fillip to the ongoing education movement in the country.