Vice-President calls for people’s movement to preserve languages

ndhraVISAKHAPATNAM: Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday stressed the need for a people’s movement to preserve languages and deliver the benefits of our language traditions for the future generations.Highlighting the power of language to unite people across generations and geographies, Venkaiah Naidu called for a concerted effort to preserve, enrich and propagate  languages, cultures and traditions. He was speaking at a virtual meeting of the sixth annual ‘Rashtretara Telugu Samakhya’ conference. 

He said Telugu people should come together as one for the cause of Telugu language and the revitalisation of the local traditions. Noting that neglecting a language will lead to its decline, the Vice-President advised that it is the duty of each individual to preserve and promote one’s mother tongue, without belittling other languages and cultures.

He also underscored the need for having primary education in one’s mother tongue, as envisaged by the National Educational Policy, 2020. He noted that the persons presently occupying the highest constitutional office of the country, including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India, all had primary education in their mother tongue.

“People should not have the false impression that one cannot succeed and grow in life if they learn in their mother tongue. We have many past and present examples to prove it wrong,” he said. Venkaiah called for more initiatives in translating Telugu literature into other Indian languages, thereby spreading the richness of its tradition.

Appreciating the fact that many such cultural organisations continued their work online in the wake of the pandemic, he suggested that efforts should be intensified to integrate language and technology in the same spirit.

Noting that there are more than thousand organisations outside the Telugu states for the preservation and propagation of the Telugu language, the Vice-President commended the initiative of the organisers in coming together on a common platform called ‘Rashtretara Telugu Samakhya’.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Bandaru Dattatreya, West Bengal minister Shashi Panja, former deputy speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad, president of All India Telugu Federation CMK Reddy and Rashtrethara Telugu Samakhya president Sundara Rao were present.