Languages

India is one of the richest countries of the world in terms of languages. The government of India has officially recognized 14 Indian languages, each of which has a history of its own. Sanskrit, which is more ancient than Greek or Latin, is the parent language of most Indian languages. Sanskrit was the language in which all great classical literature of India was written, and from it were derived Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi. These languages may be called Aryan languages. Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam languages spoken in the South, are called Dravidian languages. Tamil scholars claim that their language is as ancient as Sanskrit. Although South Indian languages or Dravidian languages are not directly derived from Sanskrit, even they show the great influence of Sanskrit.

All Indian languages are equally good and each of them is spoken by millions of people. It is dangerous to be fanatic about one’s own language. Fanaticism about one’s own language can give rise to linguistic groups which, in turn, will lead to linguistic rivalries. The ultimate result of this would-be chaos and disunity. We should encourage our children to learn as many Indian languages as possible. Knowing more than one Indian language will not only enrich our minds, but will also make us socially and politically more useful in the present cosmopolitan conditions of the country. Linguistic differences are not anything to be angry about. They are a rich heritage of which we must be proud. As Baba has said, “There is only one language, the language of the heart.” A kind heart can establish rapport with anyone.

[Source: The Path Divine, Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas, Dharmakshetra, Mumbai]