Mother tongue the other tongue

It was last week that the Kerala Government announced its decision to make Malayalam a compulsory subject in all schools up to Class X. The new rule will be applicable for each and every school —aided, unaided and those affiliated to CBSE-ICSE streams — functioning in the state. In fact, this decision has become a talk of the town within a few days.

Noted anchor-actress Renjini Haridas, who is famous of using English in her shows, supports the decision. “I support the move as it is a positive one. If this decision was taken during my schooling, my Malayalam would have been stronger,” she says, adding, “I studied Malayalam till sixth standard though I graduated in Kerala. But since seventh, Malayalam was just an optional subject and I opted for Hindi. It was later that I understood the importance of Malayalam and then started improving my language by reading newspaper and by talking. Now I am proud that I am far better in Malayalam than I was 10 years back.”

Renjini points out that the interest among people to study Malayalam has come down compared to earlier days. “It is our mother tongue and is part of our culture. We are losing everything including the way we celebrate our own festivals. But in a way, if we can speak our mother tongue, we can stay connected to our culture. See, it is not a language of commerce. It is a medium for communication in our territory. I Malayali friends who cannot read Malayalam, not even a bus board,” she says.

Renjini points out that inferiority complex stops majority from speaking Malayalam in public. “In fact, the rules which force students to speak English are being interpreted in a wrong way. People think that this means that using Malayalam in school as well as in public is not a good practice. I guess it is a problem with in our society and education system.”

Young screenwriter-blogger Deepu Pradeep says that we should take lessons in our own mother tongue from a younger age itself. “Studying other languages is an added advantage. But before that, we should confirm that we have a strong base in our mother tongue. We have enough time to study any language, but ours should be taught from school days. It is true that there is no point in imposing all laws. But certain things should be imposed and I consider the new decision is a laudable one,” says Deepu.

Noted poet-lyricist Rafeeq Ahamed feels that the new decision should be implemented in a way other states do. “It is a good policy. Governments in other states including Tamil Nadu ensure that the mother tongue is included in school syllabus. But I do not support compelling others on what to do or what to say. I appreciate new policy as it promoted mother tongue,” says Rafeeq.

Shano Shaji, who is pursuing graduation in Sacred Heart College, says that he cannot support the new decision. “When Malayalam becomes a compulsory subject in our schools, schools authorities cannot insist their students to speak English on their premises. My personal opinion is that a normal Malayali can improve his English vocabulary only by speaking with others and thus, such a rule was really a blessing for many students. I am also an example for that. So speaking English on school premises should be supported. But it is true that certain schools were looting students who fail to speak English, in the form of penalty. That issue should amicably solved by the authorities,” he says.