Feb 24 2010
Times of India Ahmedabad had taken note of Gujarati shabda spardha
NAVYA MALINI
Times News Network
The golden jubilee celebrations of Gujarat state formation seem to be turning a new leaf each day. For, Gujaratis, not only in Gujarat but in the
world over too, are leaving no stone unturned to celebrate the spirit of mother land and the significance of mother language. And the stage
seems to be set for a new movement as a number of events and activities are being held in the city to spread the message of native language
importance in our lives.
From taking part in a poetry recital, organising a Gujarati spell bee contest,Bhasha Spardha on the world of blogs, actively getting oneself involved in the Matrubhasha Yatra and paying tribute to the mother tongue through Matrubhasha Vandana, and exhibiting collection of books at the Gujarat Vidyapith library, Gujaratis are unanimously echoing one sentiment — love for the mother language and the mother land.
At the same time, many feel that this effort should be carried forward and not limited to a one-day affair.“We should not be overcome by a sense of inferiority as we speak in gujarati. One should be proud of one’s mother tongue and it should be — dil ni bhasha dil thi bolo,” says columnist Urvish Kothari.
While some opine that the language is losing its significance due to the importance of English in our lives, others believe that there should be interactive methods to keep the younger generation take an interest in the language. “One should not create a rift between languages. What is important today is to package the language and the best of the things that it offers to the young in an interesting way so that they will understand its role in our lives,” says playwright Soumya Joshi.
Author Satish Vyas feels that over the years the vocabulary and usage of the language has suffered. “I have been giving lectures at Matrubhasha Yatra and interacting with students. Institutions where the medium of instruction is Gujarati, students did not have any difficulty in grasping the nuances of the language. But in other colleges, the vocabulary and language quotient was not up to mark.”
While the Gujarati bachao movement seems to be gaining more momentum with Gujarati bloggers across the world trying to make contribution to the language, critics feel that apart from the world of web, there should be more measures for creating awareness among the
youth. “Take the publishing sector, for instance. There are published 1,250 volume of books for 5.5 crore Gujarati readers. This creates a huge
supply-demand gap,” says Kothari.
Everyone unanimously would agree on the need to highlight the rich literary heritage that Gujarat possesses. “Students should be introduced to masterpieces like Chakko Makko and Mia Fuski. There is an ocean of kids’ literature which lying unexplored by students,” says Joshi.Well, get closer to the mother tongue seems to be what is driving the state now.
navyamaliniyv.timesgroup.com
Is it true Gujarati Voters are more wiser then ever before?
Thank you
Narendra