Mother Language Day? What is it about?

Hyderabad: While many international days like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day among many such celebrative days attract a lot of attention and business houses come up with innovative ideas to market their products, a very important day 'International Mother Language Day' passed off without getting any importance.

There were a very few states like West Bengal which organised special programmes to showcase the importance of their language and culture. In fact, it went totally unnoticed in both the Telugu States.

While in Telangana barring a couple of one liner tweets from one or two ministers like Eatala Rajender, nothing was done by the government. In Andhra Pradesh, it seems to have got washed away as everyone was busy with the last phase of panchayat polls. Even none of the Chief Ministers had come up with any message.

Incidentally, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu tweeted in all regional languages highlighting the need to promote mother languages. Later, participating in a webinar programme organised by the Education Ministry and Culture Ministry, Venkaiah Naidu said primary education in mother tongue can boost children's self-esteem and creativity and it should be made the primary medium of instruction at least until class 5.

Educating a child in a language that was not spoken at home can be a big impediment to learning especially at the primary stage, he said. Referring to multiple studies, Naidu said teaching through the mother tongue in the initial stages of education can boost a child's self-esteem and enhance his or her creativity, an official release said.

The Vice-President focused on five key sectors to promote the use of mother tongue. Apart from emphasising the use of mother tongue in primary education, the other areas are the use of local languages in administration, court proceedings and to deliver judgments in them. Highlighting the importance of mother tongue in governance, Naidu advised that it should be increased, especially at state and local levels.

At another function 'Aksharyan', advisor to the Telangana State Government K V Ramanachary stressed on the need to promote Telugu language and culture. He lamented that the World Telugu Conference has not been held after 2017.

He said the first World Telugu Conference held after formation of Telangana State was a grand affair but after that somehow it was put on the backburner. He also made an interesting comment that advisors means that they should give advice only when it is sought. But now no one seeks any advice on issues like promotion of mother tongue.