LIKE MUSIC, LIKE LANGUAGE

An octogenarian even if he is an ordinary person deserves respect. And if that person is an eminent litterateur, the respect multiplies, even worshipped by many.

 

Ravindra Kelekar, the Goan writer, recipient of 42^nd Jnanapith Award 2006 (all of us are very well aware, we Indians are very punctual and that is the sole reason why Ravindra Kelekar the conferment took place in 2010) was conferred upon the award in his home State of Goa at a glittering function attended by renowned personalities like Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Jnanapith Award Committee Chairman, Sitakant Mahapatra and another Hindi literaratteur Namwar Singh and Goa Legislative Assembly Speaker Pratap Singh Rane . The ailing octogenarian, he is 85 now, was brought to the venue by an ambulance and was conferred upon the award by none other than Meira Kumar. In her speech in connection with the function she extolled the contributions of Ravindra Kelekar to Konkan literature and carved a niche for himself. In her speech she referred to literature as a whole and I quote her, “Literature is not only the mirror of the society, but it also has to do the ‘hand-holding’ and lead and show the way to society.”

 

According to Kelekar, he is proud that he represented Konkani, a language which some including those who spoke the language, till recently didn’t consider as a language.

 

As he was handicapped with age-related problems, his acceptance speech was read by Namwar Singh in the former’s presence.

 

In his acceptance speech he came down heavily on present generation’s obsession with English language forgetting the sacredness of their own mother tongues. Kelekar in his scathing attack on the present generation’s obsession with English language categorizes the writers in English, be they litterateurs, writers, professors, readers and called the intellectuals as ‘bonsai’ intellectuals. He is of the opinion that for the development of a nation that language is not of any importance and pointed out that there many nations across the world where English is non-existent. The absence of that language according to him has not in any way affected the development of such nations.

 

It is a stark reality that our own mother tongues’ are relegated to the background with English reigning supreme, according to him.

 

As far as I am concerned, English is not at all an alien language and it had already established its place across the world and hence better to call it a Universal language. A chauvinistic approach to one’s own mother tongue is in bad taste and I am of the opinion that if possible given a chance we must go for learning and assimilating all languages.

 

Indian youth if they decide to tread the line of learning their own mother tongue and ignoring English totally, hard to imagine the fate awaiting them. In our nation for instance, if a youth upon completion of his studies in his own mother tongue can’t find a job in his home State and is forced to migrate to other State in search of a job opportunity, how is it possible for him to find a job where another language is spoken and written. Hence a common language is highly indispensable for the free movement, involvement and mingling with each and every one hailing from different parts of the nation where other languages are in existence.

 

In such a situation English is accepted already as a universal language and it serves as a bridge for each one to move ahead confidently in all spheres of life. 

 

That is why for a student while mastering his own language is required to learn English, Hindi or French as secondary languages. This mindset in no way is a crime.

 

For instance take my own case. If I had persisted with or if our State govt. had persisted with the students learning Malayalam only - my mother tongue - I could not have taken up a profession in Mumbai, there English, Hindi and Marathi ,Gujarati and Tamil languages are in vogue. Keralites are there but they are only a minority.

 

Number of my published works only six except one, that is in English, all other works, all works of fiction are in my own mother tongue. That in no way lessen my affection towards English.

 

The reason why I came to know of the conferment of Jnanapith award by Lok Sabha Speaker on Ravindra Kelekar was because I am a regular subscriber of the National English dailies, The Hindu and The New Indian Express. ‘The Hindu’ had given a wide coverage to the event- a defining moment in the history of  Konkan literature and hence indebted to it.

 

Each language is sacred in its own way, each serves as medium of communication and hence supreme.     

Language like music transcends all barriers.