Macaulay Policy has changed the fundamental thinking of Indians, we will understand the importance of mother tongue only then we will be able to move forward.
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Many countries of the world have brought themselves in the category of developed countries by working in mother tongues. Israel’s scientists have received the maximum number of Nobel Prizes for research in the Hebrew language. All the countries including Japan, Germany are giving priority to work in their mother tongue only.
After independence on August 15, 1947, it was in the minds of Indians that their own system would be established. But after 75 years of independence, now when the country is in the golden age, even then we can say that the mother tongue could not get its proper place. What is mother tongue can be a matter of debate, but just as mother’s milk and affection nourishes the child, in the same way with every human being, right from the time of birth to the womb, the language in which it starts being cultured. That is his mother tongue. The latest discoveries of the world have also proved this.
There have also been conflicts when the mother tongue is not given a proper place. The biggest linguistic struggle took place in Bangladesh. During this struggle, on 21 February in the year 1952, many students of Dhaka University, Jagannath University and Dhaka Medical College were gunned down by the police near Dhaka High Court during the movement to declare Bangla language as national language in East Pakistan and Bangladesh. were given. Because of this protest, in 1956, Pakistan had to declare Bangla language as the official language.
Languages are the identity of man, when languages die, then the identity of man dies, fades and gets destroyed over time. At the international level, there was talk of protection and promotion of mother tongues. When the matter arose of fixing a day for this at the global level, it was agreed to celebrate February 21 as International Mother Language Day itself. It was first announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999. Although it was announced in 1999, yet its proposal was approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2008. International Mother Language Day was officially celebrated internationally on 21 February.
Now science has also started saying that the expression of a person’s thoughts is effective only in the mother tongue. All the studies and scientists of the world have concluded that mother tongue has more ability to understand, learn and acquire knowledge. Former President late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had also said that I could become a good scientist because I had received maths and science education in my mother tongue. But the change in the education system due to Macaulay’s plan changed the fundamental thinking of India. English and British left such an impact on the minds of Indians that even their original culture started eroding.
The framers of the constitution, while framing the constitution, arranged in Article 343 that the official language of this country would be Hindi. India became independent only in 1947, systems were changing, so the framers of the constitution had exempted the English language for official purposes for 15 years after adopting the constitution and said that after 15 years English would be finished. But due to political reasons, opposition to Hindi started in the southern parts of the country and under its guise, the basic spirit of the constitution was disregarded and English remained the working language.
The framers of the constitution also decided the language of the court. Article 348 provided that the language of the Supreme Court and all the High Courts of the country would be English. But he had also made a provision that this system would remain in place until the Parliament of this country makes any other provision by law. Due to lack of political will, till date no such law could be enacted so that the language of Supreme Court and High Court could be changed. If the political will is strong, then within the constitutional provisions, exemption can be easily given to work in mother tongue along with English in the Supreme Court and High Courts.
The biggest irony is that there are 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and English is not listed in those 22 languages. Nevertheless, the language of official business and courts became English. Various agitations are also going on in the country for working in the Supreme Court in the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and in the official languages of the High Courts. Several groups, including the Indian Language Movement, are engaged in this work. The effect of which is also visible. The Government of India has also started showing seriousness about the languages of the courts. Courts are also now planning to make the language of judicial decisions available in the mother tongue.
Nowadays, most of the items of common people’s consumption are available in the market in packets, but the common people cannot understand what is there in that packet. Because all the details are in English. Former Consumer Affairs Minister Late Ram Vilas Paswan had once said that the description should come on the packets of common man’s consumption items in the mother tongue as well, but this was his suggestion. The companies did not accept this suggestion as there was no law in this context. Even today, common people are forced to buy material only on the basis of advertisements. In China, Walmart printed information in both Mandarin and English on packaging in its stores. In that the English fonts were a bit bigger and the Mandarin was a bit smaller. The Chinese government fined Walmart because they showed the Chinese language to be smaller than English. But in India the English language has been made the language of plunder. Only the chemist can understand the medicines written on the doctor’s prescription. Loan related papers of banks and papers of insurance companies are printed in small letters in English language only.
Many countries of the world have brought themselves in the category of developed countries by working in mother tongues. Israel’s scientists have received the maximum number of Nobel Prizes for research in the Hebrew language. All the countries including Japan, Germany are giving priority to work in their mother tongue only. The Supreme Courts of more than 100 countries of the world are working in their mother tongue. The example of Turkey’s Kemal Pasha is in front of everyone that how he had immediately implemented the use of Turkish language in Turkey with his strong will.
International Mother Language Day is also being organized in India, but there is no benefit from its organization only, unless the protection and promotion of mother languages is not worried. The opposition to the use of mother tongues in education by the Government of India through the new education policy should stop. Ministry of Home Affairs has started working in Hindi but other Ministries should also follow the Ministry of Home Affairs. Dictionaries of judicial terminologies are being made in Indian languages, but unless the use of mother tongues increases in law, court, administration, consumer goods and other areas, mother tongues cannot be promoted. Mother tongues have to be made employable languages and this is possible only when all governments, courts of all levels, financial institutions, administrative offices and educational institutions start working in official language and for this there is a great need of strong will of the government.
-Ashish Rai
(The author is an advocate in the Supreme Court)
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