The directions are eight – toorpu (E), paramata(W), uttaram(N), dakshinam(S), aagnaeyam(SE), neiruthi(SW),vaayavyam(NW), eesaanyam(NE). The months (with associated festivals) are Pandagai (Sankranthi), Thai (Tayemasi), Masi (Sivaratri), Phanguni (Ugadi) , Chitrai (Gangamma), Vaiyasi, Peddavadi/ Aadi (Kaavadi) , Chinnavadi/ Avani (Vinayaka Chaturthi) , Indaapi, Tiruveli (Govindalu) , Nomulu (Deepavali) , Karthikai (Karthikai). They are lunar months and so different from the English months. The Telugu months, fortnights (karthes) and star configurations determine crop planting times and festivals.
The eight directions are the basis of vaasthu, or traditional architechture. Heat and cold are basic concepts that decide the properties of food and medicine. Discourse is based on these concepts. So an understanding of these is essential to engage with the ideas.
A Telugu medium government textbook defines directions as eight and months as Telugu months. English medium textbooks define directions as four as in the western paradigm, and never mention the Indian months. Vernacular education is more in sync with local paradigms. With loss of the vernacular medium, there will also be a loss of validity of vernacular knowledge.
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Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kenyan novelist, professor, and author of Decolonizing the Mind - Economic and political control can never be complete or effective without mental control. To control a people’s culture is to control their tools of self-definition in relationship to others.
When done right, the native comes to elevate and mimic his master’s ways, to see his own culture as inferior, and to look down on his past as ‘a wasteland of non-achievement’. He begins to defer to the colonizer’s ideas on fundamental things like beauty, art, and politics.
In time he begins to understand himself and his culture through the eyes of the colonizer—using the latter’s concepts, categories, and judgments. Before too long, he turns into a proxy for his master: colonialism with a native face.
How does the colonizer gain such control? The easiest method, explains Ngugi, is to actively spread his language among the natives, and to simultaneously denigrate the language of the natives as crude and unfit for proper education. It is amazing how much mileage this delivers.
Simply make the colonizer’s language the lingua franca of imperial administration, accord prestige and upward mobility to those who learn it in colonial schools, and before too long, there is a feeding frenzy among a native minority.
This has been the way of the great colonialists of history, such as the Arabs in the 7-8th centuries, the British and the French in the 19th, and the Russians with the Baltic States in the 20th.
For colonialism this involved two aspects of the same process: the destruction or the deliberate undervaluing of a people’s culture, their art, dances, religions, history, geography, education, orature, and literature, and the conscious elevation of the language of the colonizer. The domination of a people’s language by the language of the colonizing nations was crucial to the domination of the mental universe of the colonized.
When we first moved to the village I was clear that I would not teach English to the children. I learnt Telugu so that I could teach them that. To establish the primacy of English was to further erode the inherited strength of the community, as structured into their language, their skills, their religions. And each ladder of knowlege was important in its own right.
But ... as years passed I started teaching them English so that they could start on the lowest rung of the ladder of my community with rings of literacy/english/read-writing. Their own ladders were being broken down at a frightening pace. The thatchers skills were unsaleable as thatched roofs gave way to other roofs (including our own). The potters skills became meaningless as plastic and aluminium wiped away pots from every home.
What does one do in the face of such forces ? Is one justified in helping in short term strategies that have long term devastation built into them ?
It is wisest to do nothing - when each 'practical' step today seems wrong.
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, writes in The Dance of Shiva,
“It is hard to realize, how completely the continuity of Indian life has been severed. A single generation of English education suffices to break the threads of tradition and to create a nondescript and superficial being deprived of all roots—a sort of intellectual pariah who does not belong to the East or the West.”
Great excerpt. I think this process of producing native colonisers had been complete by the time of Nehru's generation.
Nehru was so completely convinced that Indian languages can not be the medium for imparting scientific education. He saw nothing positive in India's past.
Also, Koenraad Elst's "Decolonising the Hindu mind" is an important work in this regard.
I am glad you did not take out Arabs from the list of colonisers.
Gaurav Upadhyay
very few are even able to understand it. That complete has been the colonizing of minds.
Sir, Coomaraswamy wrote that based on his life experience of having been uprooted from Ceylon to London and was deprived of access to local culture. We are applying that to 2020 where at the click of a button one can gain exposure to local practices and if they choose to, subscribe and practice if they choose to.
Mr Coomaraswamy lived all his life in London and in US, working in New York. He is bound to feel and think this way.
Chitra Sharan
I feel exactly the same as him. I live here. On this soil.
I suggest you read the message and not bother about shooting the messenger
Putting the message in context ..not shooting the messenger at all and would never ever do that.
you may download the pdf of this book here...link valid for 3 days
Applying the same formula identified by the author, isn't the imposition of Hindi on the rest of India also a colonial strategy of domination and "deculturing" of the native? For many Dalits even Hinduism/Brahminism is such a "deculturing" force that surrounds and dominates them.
Murthy Sudhakar
there are many demons. We are starting with the biggest of them.
We are happy to take them all up.
Aparna Krishnan
I disagree in that English though more entrenched, is a better equalizer than the other demons lurking.
Murthy Sudhakar
You are right. The bigger threat in India now is Hindi. Not English.
Murthy Sudhakar
Focus and emphasis should be on Mother tongue. It should also be the medium of instruction in schools and colleges. English should be the 2nd language which can act as link language between states and countries
Ilamaran Mathivanan
I agree in general. But that is not the mood of those in charge of the country now nor since independence. The dominance of Hindi/Caste/Brahminism married to exploitative capitalism has always been an undercurrent and agenda of the political culture in India. It still is and is now manifesting itself more forcefully and vigorously. This is more wicked and disruptive of life as already evidenced. Needs to be checked.
Nonsense.
While there should be no imposition of any one language to the extent of harming the others, drawing equivalence between English and Hindi in this regard is misplaced.
Hindi is a language which developed in this land of ours. It derives its idioms, its vocabulary, its metaphors, its ideas from the common culture of this land. Does English do that?
Secondly, Hindi owes its origin to Sanskrit to which most other Indian languages also do.
Many words and ideas are same.
For developing a sense of fraternity, any country needs a common lingua franca. All our great leaders have agreed in the past that because of its wider reach, Hindi can be that language. This does not mean that Hindi as a language is better than Tamil or vice versa. It just means that it will be easier and more feasible to have Hindi as the link language.
How can English be in that place when a) It is a foreign tongue, borrows its ideas and idioms from a foreign culture and b) 95%+ of our people do not speak it, do not understand it?
Gaurav Upadhyay
the English educated are simply unable to grasp how that foreign language changes the very idioms of the minds. And alienates completely from the thinking of the peoples of the land.
That complete is the loss of roots that even understanding it is not a possibility.
Gaurav Upadhyay
Absurd and nonsensical... another case of a good debate and agree to disagree.
It lacks the vocabulary, the idioms.
Aparna Krishnan
to a khasi, to a manipuri, to a lushai to a kodagi or a tamil and so on... Hindi is as foreign a language as English and will do exactly what you suggest. It already is. & unlike the foreigners who have left the local colonizers are going nowhere. ... & with that I am signing off on this topic.
Murthy Sudhakar
if you think that the cultural differences across this land is like the cultural differences we have with English speaking countries, sorry.
I learnt my lesson when I met two women who came from Thailand. It seems there english is not a big deal. If you know it's ok, if you don't, it won't affect your job prospect at all. These two ladies spoke terrible english and I had to really struggle to make sense of it. Yet they spoke confidently and with no sense of inferiority that I see here. I think that was the key. Self assured confidence has far more value than language skill. The onus of making sense to each other was on both of us, I had to do my bit they had to do theirs. But in our country not knowing english breaks our confidence, that is sad.
Sanjay Maharishi
I remember this story. Yes, we are the worst I feel sometimes. The way we have internalized our colonized status. The so called educated are the most slavish, sold to the western learnings and being toto. And they corrupt the rest of the country.
Sanjay Maharishi
those women probably came from privileged backgrounds and so were confident. The system generally ensures that most people are not confident so that it's unjust domination can continue.
Rahul
- if we drop all our judgments about the social status associated with English and help people learn it as just another language, it would work.
Also when we teach our children English and stop others from learning in order to protect "other skills" it feels similar to the Brahminical mindset of keeping knowledge restricted to one group. If someone wants to learn let them do it. We need not hold the power to tell people not to learn.
Personally I prefer and understand anything better, when I read or hear in Tamil and I am not suggesting that we devalue our local language.
We could shed that load we carry in our heads that English is superior as the first step and see how that works when we help someone learn that language.
Chitra Sharan
I have not said anything against the teaching of english and in fact have taught many starting with my wife
. The problem is that there are very few good teachers at school level who can teach english, maths and science properly. That is why I said it is a systemic conspiracy against which we as individuals can do very little.
Till the hegemony of English is challenged, and the dignity of vernacular reinstated, there can only be erosion of dignity, self worth, national pride.
We will stay low quality imitations of the West.
These issues were central concerns in post Independence days. Somewhere along the way we lost our way.
This post is about whether to challenge English or promote it. Whether to reclaim the strength of vernaculars, or start giving 95% some low quality ability in English, as that is the most that is possible.
It is about the direction that is best in every sense for the country, for those rooted in vernaculars.
I have some experience in teaching English and math to children, not as much as you guys but some. Our focus has been to teach the subjects at hand but I feel lately that the focus should be on confidence building. People learn pretty quickly what they need to learn. I saw little children in Jaisalamer speaking Korean and Japanese to sell their stuff. Whether they were speaking well or not I don't know but they were getting their job done which is what matters. They were not from privileged class or even caste but their confidence level was up there, both boys and girls. I feel that is the key. We don't need to teach a subject we need to see how confidence can be boosted.
Sanjay Maharishi
yes agree fully. And going on and on about English learning, instead focussing on and celebrating and building on their own strengths and languages in the long run erodes confidence and self worth.
My only point is when we get our children to learn English (for whatever benefits advantages) and not put them in vernacular medium and deprive them of learning the language, and then to use our privilege to decide for others is questionable.
Like the way we say activists and NGOs are not the saviours for marginalised and people living in villages, acting as their saviour for this and thinking for them that the process of learning this skill is destroying their confidence is wrong.
Chitra Sharan
agree with you about the ngo bit. But not the first.
Children don't learn english in school, they learn it at home. In fact, anything of value is learnt at home. School just takes the credit for it.
Education alone will not be able to build confidence on a large scale unless we can establish equitable and sustainable livelihoods. The moment we try to do so on a large scale we will be crushed.
And one essential point we choose to ignore. When we say we school our kids in English and so should school all kids in English.
We school our kids in a way that they can go abroad. And prosper. In that 'best of all worlds'.
We cannot offer that to the rest in this land. We can only make them clerks our privileged children. At best. Let's face it.
And in addition we destroy their faith in their language, their knowledge systems. Their ways.
That we are hypocrites who want to uplift others without giving up our privilege is a given fact. All my discussions are in full and open awareness and admission of that.
Absolutely - we are all hypocrites who want to uplift others without giving up our privilege .. you nailed it.
I feel that we shouldn't be using that privilege to make decisions for others. If the kids want to learn English and parents see that as aspirational, who are we to keep that language skill away from them? My point is only that.
When I had to interact with a kid from PG palle, English was the only common language between us and we just treated it as a communication tool and it worked.
Chitra Sharan
the issue and implications are far vaster. Please think in detail.
Aparna Krishnan
there is very little that thinking alone will achieve given the consumerist thrust of capitalism.
No one here is advocating inaction.
And yet action without understanding and perspective could be worse than inaction. As has been seen many times.
The comparison to Thailand is not valid. It is a country united under one single language, the only Asian country not colonized by any European empire - until seduced by the US to send troops to Vietnam and also service them under R & R locations in Thailand.
Rahul Banerjee
The strategy today vis a vis English, is similar to those who were Dwivedis, Trivedis and Chaturvedis to maintain the privilege and dominance over the Shunyavedis.
Aparna Krishnan
Our whole socio-cultural-political structure was and still is based on caste or caste-like tiers dictated by those in power and control. This by necessity meant adapting the traits and hallmarks of those in power - consequently the language of English (who ruled). With that came the fascination and admiration for other cultural aspects of the rulers, many of which have been adopted in toto or modified to suit local nuances. This has come at the expense of the scattered and varied local traditions and wisdom. For example, we have been witnessing the gradual changes in the way girls and women dress in India - adapting more western styles of clothing - and I hear complaints about loss of tradition etc. First, there were no such complaints when the first round of change (now fully established as normal) was from sarees to the salwar-kameez of Islamic origin, and secondly -none about men wearing western clothing. Perhaps we who ponder on such matters are an inconsistent, muddled and confused lot!
Murthy Sudhakar
Promoting/ celebrating English is a way of cementing our location in this modern caste system. We who have sold our souls to this. The new entrants will be clerks to us and our children.
In this promotion lies the death knell of all other knowledge and wisdom. And of the dignity that the possessors of these held.
English I'd not 'just another language'. It represents a western civilization, a colonial agenda, a set in stone hierarchy.
It is not just english but the whole syllabi that are westernised regardless of the language. The vernacular terms in the maths, science and social science texts are sanskrit based which is as arcane as english
and even less accessible . So the problem of western colonisation of our minds is very deep.
Here English and the implications of the promotion of English is being discussed. There are many more dimensions, yes. But that does not take away from this itself
Aparna Krishnan
Unfortunately English is not going away from India anytime soon and besides, what will replace it, within the nation and globally? Where as I see merit in honoring and reviving things local of utility, purpose and wisdom, it need not come at the expulsion of everything English (language) or Western or any other label. So in my view it is counterproductive to lump everything, including people, into one camp or the other. This polarization will only lead to more fanaticism that already drapes the land now.
Murthy Sudhakar
yes it's not going away. Like many other things including consumerism.
And yet it is essential to be very clear sighted and understand all its implications. And understand that sometimes what we do in the here and now may go reverse to our larger vision.
இவை அனைத்தையும் நாம் ஆங்கிலத்தில் கலந்துரையாடுவோம்...
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yes that is our failure. One generation of English medium education deracinates a family. That was its stated purpose.
And that is what we are offerring to the others.
வேர்கள் என்றால் என்ன .. ஆங்கில புத்தகங்கள் அளவுக்கு இல்லை, அதை விட சிறிது அதிகமாக தமிழில் வாசித்து இருக்கிறேன். இப்பொழுதும் தமிழில் எழுதி உள்ளேன். இந்த பதிவில் எல்லோரும் தாய் மொழியில் எழுதினால் என்ன விளைவு இருக்கும் .. ஆங்கிலம் ஒரு இணைக்கும் பாலம் மட்டும் என்பது தெரியும்.
These words like roots and deracination have become fashionable tools to bash "others" who don't think like us and act like us.
Let's all write in our mother tongue's in this post for the next five minutes and we will realise then that English can just be a tool for communication and nothing more.
If we have a spontaneous extempore on reciting Thirukkural or Kamba Ramayanam or Kabir's Doha very few who want others to be deprived of learning English and are rooted, can accomplish the recitations with ease. All of us can learn any language and also be connected to our literature which is also a primary part of being rooted.
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Chitra Sharan
English is not 'just another language'. I will end here. Thanks
ஆங்கிலத்தை ஒரு கருவியாக மட்டுமே ஆக்க முடியும் நாமெல்லாம் அந்த மொழியை சமூகக் குறியீடாக நினைக்க மறுத்து மற்றவருக்கு கற்பித்தோம் என்றால்.
It's also a demand and supply issue - if more people start learning a language the social status associated with it too will reduce.
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It is not simple,unidemnsional. Sorry.
Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, writes in The Dance of Shiva,
“It is hard to realize, how completely the continuity of Indian life has been severed. A single generation of English education suffices to break the threads of tradition and to create a nondescript and superficial being deprived of all roots—a sort of intellectual pariah who does not belong to the East or the West.”
Dont you see it in yourself ? I see it clearly in myself. But ittook a village to show me tat in utter clarity. Not everyone has had that privilege I know.
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