TEACH MOTHER TONGUE, BUT DON’T IGNORE ENGLISH’

DILIP PATEL AND OJAS MEHTA

English no virodh murkhai che pan matrubhashani ni avganna maha murkhai che
(Only fools can condemn English language, but there cannot be a greater foolishness than ignoring the mother tongue)”. Columnist and writer Gunvant Shah is not known for mincing words. He came straight to the point when he delivered his lecture at a function organised by Gujarat Sahitya Parishad to mark the International Mother Language Day on Sunday.
Shah actively promotes the view that there is as need for Gujarati medium schools to teach good English as there is for English medium schools to teach Gujarati.
“We are taking this up as a campaign. We have prepared a team of 25 enlightened citizens in every city and urban area that will approach English schools to teach good Gujarati and Gujarati schools to teach good English. Enlightened citizens will ask the principals and school managements what they can do improve the standard of English and Gujarati languages.”
Meanwhile, thousands of students took out a rally in support of Gujarati literature on the ‘International Mother Language Day’ in Gandhinagar on Sunday. The rally, called ‘Granth Rath Yatra’, was organised by Gandhinagar Cultural Forum. This is the fourth year in a row that the forum has organised such a rally.