A South Asian Perspective on Languages

[verdastelo]

Here is a recording of a talk show, Jugnu (Firefly), from Pakistan. This time the (you guessed it!) the issue is language. Because many of you do not speak Hindi-Urdu, here I'm sharing the highlights from the discussion with the hope that some of you may find it interesting.

The Guests
One of the guests is a professor of science, Pervez Hoodbhoy. The second guest is a lawmaker(?) from Sindh, Jami Chandi. The third one is a former senator from Balochistan, Ayatullah Durrani.

The Issues

1. What should be the medium of primary education?
All the three guests agree that primary education should be provided in children's mother tongue but disagree on why it is not happening.
Ayatullah Durrani: The federal government stops us.
Jami Chandi: We are the victims of state propaganda that has convinced us salvation lies only in Urdu (or English).
Pervez Hoodbhoy: It is a symptom of our sick society.

2. How important are local languages?
Ayatullah Durrani: We want to learn Balochi and Persian.
Jami Chandi: Local languages help us connect with our past.
Pervez Hoodbhoy: "Too much of a love for our past can turn us blind from future." I don't care what language you speak as long as you make sense. I'm for English because a lot of the world's knowledge is being carried only on English's shoulders.

3. How can things be improved?
Ayatullah Durrani disappears for some reason.
Jami Chandi: Government should promote local languages.
Pervez Hoodbhoy: Give us fiqri azadi (freedom of thought) and other things will take care of themselves.

4. This time the host asks the audience what they think about the whole issue.
One: I will love to learn Punjabi if I could find employment through it.
Two: I will love to learn Punjabi if the vocabulary was more modern.
Three: I go to university to so I can make money. English will help me make money anywhere in the world. I don't care.

Pervez Hoodbhoy replies to the third person and says this is not a right attitude. We go to university to educate ourselves and to enlighten ourselves. ^_^