Short film speaks of tribal students, in their tongue

Linguistic and cultural problems hampering the education of children in the tribal regions of Attappady is the focus of the short film Aggedu Nayaga (The Mother Tongue), screened at the International Children’s Film Festival of Kerala on Wednesday.

Directed by Sindhu Sajan, a teacher and theatre activist, it weaves a story around the conformist education system, which doesn’t spare room for the diversities in culture and heritage of the tribes.

“The teachers had already branded the students incapable and inefficient. But I realised the core reason behind it. When I conversed with the children in their mother tongue, their local dialects, they eagerly responded. It was quite overwhelming. According to school records, each student’s mother tongue is either Malayalam or Tamil. Their language and culture are being subjected to denial. The tribal heritage and lifestyle are being alienated. While attempting to bring the tribal children to the mainstream, the teachers and the education system don’t seem to understand that education itself is not reaching the children,” she said in an interaction after the screening.

Interpretors

She said A.K. Balan, State Minister for Cultural Affairs, after watching the film, appreciated the effort, and decided to appoint interpretors in schools in the State’s tribal regions. She said cinema was the best medium to bring such conflicts to the attention of the public.