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Native languages on the wane: Ashok Vajpeyi

— Poto: S. Mahinsha.

Raising a point: Lalit Kala Akademi Chairman Ashok Vajpeyi delivering the Ayyappa Panicker memorial lecture in the city on Sunday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A growing greed for English among the Indian middle class is adversely affecting native languages, Lalit Kala Akademi Chairman Ashok Vajpeyi has said.

He was speaking at a memorial lecture ‘Why literature: The relevance of literature in the present human context’ organised by the Ayyappa Panciker Foundation in the city on Sunday.

“We are facing a new imperialism in the form of English language today,” he said. Mr. Vajpeyi, who is also a Hindi poet and critic of repute, quoted a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) report and told the audience that one language was disappearing from the world everyday. It is estimated that there are around 6,000 languages in the world. “When a language disappears, a world view inherent in it also disappears, even if the language is spoken by only six persons in the world,” he said.

“More and more people across the world today are made to do with less and less words. Our linguistic ability is under jeopardy,” said Mr. Vajpeyi.

Though most of his near one-hour talk centred around the relevance of literature, Mr. Vajpeyi strayed off the topic to give a piece of his mind on the state of the country’s existing political and economic milieu.

“Politics has now been reduced to an exercise in management, bereft of values. Political parties are vying with one another to give greater access to the market forces,” he said.

The Marxian concept of withering away of the State has acquired a new dimension under the market forces. “The new economic forces want the State to wither away so that capital is allowed without any hindrance. They want to turn the whole world into a big mall,” said Mr. Vajpeyi.

According to him, globalisation has unleashed a ‘shameless and ceaseless’ campaign of imitation. “There is imitation of cuisine, sports, language and life style. The world is no longer changed by ideas but by objects,” he said.

The memorial function was followed by a cultural programme ‘Days, Nights,’ a collage of music, poetry, dance, film and theatre. The programme also highlighted Ayyappa Panicker’s contribution to the State’s cultural landscape.

Foundation vice-president and former ambassador T.P. Srinivasan was the moderator of the session. The function was also attended by foundation president K. Satchidanandan.

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Native languages on the wane: Ashok Vajpeyi

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