International Mother Language Day
22 February 2019

REMARKS
High Commissioner Tanmaya Lal

Hon. Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage Avinash Teeluck ji,

H. E. High Commissioner of Bangladesh,

Ambassador of Japan,

Members of Diplomatic Corps,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Namaskar,

A very warm welcome to all of you.

For all our Bangladeshi friends,

May I congratulate all of you for the terrific victory of your Under 19 Cricket Team who have been crowned the World Champions recently, in fact getting pat the Indian boys in the final ! Many congratulations indeed.

Bangladesh and India are not only competitors on cricket field but we are neighbours and more than that close friends and partners. Our relationship has been further transformed in recent years.

Only yesterday the new High Commissioner of Bangladesh in India described our relations as passing through a ‘Golden Chapter’.

I would like to thank the High Commissioner of Bangladesh here in Mauritius for taking this initiative to organize the Martyrs’ Day and the International Mother Language Day here. All of us are aware of the great significance of the Martyrs’ Day in the history of Bangladesh, especially for the struggle for the national identity of their peoples.

Our shared linguistic heritage is so unique that the national anthems of both our countries are literary creations of a single person, the Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Two decades ago, it was the initiative of Bangladesh that led the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO recognizing the importance of our respective mother languages in sustaining our diverse cultures. UNESCO designated 21 February as the International Mother Language Day.

So when our good friend the High Commissioner of Bangladesh proposed a joint hosting of this commemoration, we immediately set about planning this event together.

This year the theme of the Mother Language Day celebrations is ‘Languages without Borders’. This recognizes that in all parts of the world there are languages that are spoken by communities across borders. This often reflects the fact that modern international borders were drawn relatively recently while the languages have been spoken by communities for thousands of years.

Such common languages continue to provide the basis for mutual understanding, empathy and peaceful cooperation across neighbours.

It is not only that India and Bangladesh share Bengali language and culture. It is also very appropriate and relevant that today’s event is being celebrated in Mauritius, a rainbow nation that draws its strength from the diversity of its peoples.

The history of Mauritius has made it one of the few countries that have so many different languages, cultures, faiths and ethnicities.

We are grateful to the Hon. Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage for joining us here today. The Government of Mauritius has set an example through its longstanding efforts to preserve and promote the diversity of its cultural heritage, especially the languages that its people speak.

Friends,

Our mother tongues are described as our oral inheritance.

They carry our collective cultural memories and history in the form of stories, songs, legends and sayings. They allow transmission of shared traditional knowledge, ideas, values and faiths through generations overcoming the distance of time and geographies. They remind us of our collective struggles, challenges and achievements and also provide us guidance.

Our mother tongue defines an important aspect of our identities and provides continuity to societies. It provides us with a sense of our place and roots in a fast changing world.

The rapid globalization is leading to predominance of certain languages, often at a cost of losing certain other languages. A loss or diminishing of any language implies a much broader loss. Loss of a whole knowledge system, a collective memory.

The multiplicity of languages across the world tells us about the huge range of geographies, habitats and histories of societies where these languages evolved.

Most of us speak more than one language. Each language that we speak is said to change our personality and behavior in subtle ways. Language changes our humour or even our body language and the way we perceive our surroundings.

The vocabulary and other aspects of any language evolve in a specific context and place and its history. In fact, different languages have many words and concepts that are not necessarily translatable into other languages.

Also different languages have differing range of words and expressions describing even colours or directions or natural phenomena and habitats in differing detail. For instance communities such as desert nomads or those living in snow bound regions have much more precise expressions for water, rain or snow or clouds or plants.

There is growing realization about the value of traditional methods of healing; the medicinal values of the entire range of plants and herbs; the flora and fauna around us; the importance of traditional ways of farming and other practices in terms of their sustainability and minimal impact on our environment. We cannot afford to lose such traditional knowledge or science.

It is, therefore, important to invest effort in providing access to mother tongues which are repositories of such wisdom to the next generations, especially through early education.

United Nations had designated last year 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages and the Decade 2022-2032 has been designated as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages.

Friends,

The experience of Mauritius is unique in many ways. It is amazing to see how elders in the society, despite all odds, maintained focus on education and on preserving traditional cultural heritage especially through language skills.

The range of Speaking Unions in Mauritius tells us of the wonderful diversity of its peoples. We are happy that today several Speaking Unions are also joining us in presenting glimpses into this diversity through brief cultural items.

The diversity also means that Mauritius has good links with three major continents Asia, Africa and Europe. Not many countries have this advantage.

The ability to speak fluently in multiple languages is one great asset that makes Mauritius well placed to act as a real Gateway to Africa for businesses.

Similarly the experience to live in a diverse society equips us to adapt much more easily to different cultures and again opens up opportunities at workplace in so many fields internationally or to work with multinationals.

Friends,

India represents one-sixth of humanity. Diversity is, therefore, natural and one of the major strengths of India. Including the bewildering linguistic diversity.

The languages spoken in India are categorized into at least four major linguistic families. It is estimated that there are more than 120 mother tongues in India that are spoken by more than 10,000 people each. Around 25 languages have more than a million speakers each.

Around 70 languages are taught in schools in some capacity. Radio programmes are broadcast in around 150 languages and dialects. Newspapers and weekly journals are published in around 100 different languages. There are around 50 languages in which substantial writing and publishing is done. There are around 25 different writing systems in India.

Recognizing the close linkages between language and identity defined by cultural heritage and traditional knowledge systems and given such wonderful diversity of the languages spoken by Indians, our constitution recognizes 22 major languages. It also provides for protection of linguistic minorities.

Such wonderful diversity means that there is no monotony. And there are always possibilities of fresh new ideas drawing upon so many different sources and traditions and create new approaches or solutions. It teaches us the importance of tolerance and non-discrimination and how diversity unites us rather than dividing us.

Friends,

In conclusion, may I thank the High Commission of Bangladesh for taking this initiative and also thank our colleagues in both Missions to have organized this event to commemorate the International Mother Language Day here in Mauritius. We also appreciate the cooperation extended by the various Speaking Unions in Mauritius and the Hon. Minister Shri Avinash Teeluck for joining us and providing encouragement and support to this initiative.

Thank you.