Mother-tongue Day!

February 21 every year is International Mother Tongue Day. The day was declared by UNESCO in 1999 to be celebrated globally.

Dictionary meaning of mother-tongue states:

1. The language first learned by a person; native language.

2. Mother language. A language from which another is evolved

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Though I grew up outside of my native place, I was lucky to learn my mother tongue “Telugu”; read write and talk fluently. Thanks to my mother who insisted upon me to learn during my school breaks. Now, I with my family living in a foreign land motivated my children to acquire the fluency to converse freely.  Not that they mastered to read and write, they are comfortable to have a conversation without hesitation in their mother tongue i.e. telugu. Growing-up they picked up vocabulary to increase their conversation capability. Research has said that having learnt mother tongue help them to retain their culture; improves cognitive ability and has myriad benefits. It makes sense when I read that, if the language (mother tongue) disappears means culture is diminishing; if culture is lost means mankind vanishes. Don't you agree upon this? If you could not learn for some unforeseen reason respect your mother tongue which equals to respecting your mother land and in turn your own mother.

I would like to share a small story, that I used to tell my children when they were young. I believe this helped them learn the names of the vegetables in “Telugu-my mother tongue”.

అనగనగా ఉల్లిపాయంత ఊరిలో, ములక్కాడంత ముసలమ్మ వుంది. ఆమెకి వంకాయంత వజ్రము వుంది ఆ వంకాయంత వజ్రాన్ని బిరకాయంత బీరువాలో పెట్టి తాటికాయంత తాలంవేసింది. అది దొండకాయంత  దొంగ చూసి ఒకరోజు రాత్రి కరక్కాయంత కన్నము వేసి ఇంట్లోకి వచ్చి తాటికాయంత తాళం తీసి ఆ వంకాయంత వజ్రాన్ని దొండకాయంత దొంగపట్టుకు పోతుంటే పొట్లకాయంత పోలీసు చూసి బెండకాయంత బేడీలు తీసి దొండకయంత దొంగకు వేసి జామకాయంత జైలుల్లో పెట్టి ఆ వంకాయంత వజ్రాన్ని తెచ్చి ములక్కాడంత ముసలమ్మకి ఇచ్చాడు ఇది కథ. కథ కంచికి మనం ఇంటికి. 

“One should respect his motherland, his culture and his mother tongue because they are givers of happiness… ”

-Rig Veda quotes