Ananda Rao Vasishta © November 2013
(This article first appeared in the souvenir issued by SIMA, Hyderabad, celebrating their 35th Formation Day on 24-11-2013)
Before I answer that, let me tell you something. When I was in elementary school our family moved permanently from Trivandrum to Madras. I had a limited knowledge of Tamil, just enough to go by. I could hardly make out what our new servant maid Ponnamma was talking. Yet it was not difficult to understand her daughter. The puzzle was a no-brainer. The mother was illiterate, but the daughter was in school. The difference between gibberish and language is the same as between illiteracy and education.
How did our Marathi land up in the situation like Ponnamma's Tamil ? Well, all of us contributed to it ; generation after generation. Like Ponnamma we do not know how to read or write our language. For those in my generation the anti-Hindi sentiments in Tamil Nadu contributed to our ignorance of Devanagari script. But is that the case with our children and grandchildren ?
Even while knowing that learning our language is not going to get us any jobs, can we let our dear language be mocked at as a gibberish ? We are one of the most progressive communities in India and shouldn't let that happen. We are very proud of our culture and heritage and shouldn't let that happen. Our language has survived for over 350 years in an environment dominated by another language and we shouldn't let that happen.
To those of us who feel that our language is a gibberish, it will remain a gibberish. Likewise, to those who feel it is a language, it will remain a language ; but even for them mere feelings won't help. We all need to know how to read and write our language. Like in the case of Ponnamma's daughter, education is the only solution.
दक्षिणी मराठी एक भाषाका नाही अपभ्रंशका ?
हेला उत्तर द्याचपुढे एक सांगतों. मी ल्हान असताना, मह्णजे ल्हान साळेंत वाचताना, अमच कुटुंब अनंतशयनमांतून(त्रिवेन्द्रमांतून) चेन्नैला स्थिरहोऊन राहाला गेलों. मला तमिल थोड-थोड येत होततरीन अमच नव॑ कामवाली पोन्नम्माच तमिल मला अर्थकराला झालनाही. पण, तिज लेंकीच तमिल मला सुलभांत अर्थ होतहोत॑. डोस्के फोडाच प्रश्न काहीं नहो हे. मायाला लिव्हालीं वाचालीं येतहोतनाही, पण लेंक साळेला जात होती. भाषाचीं अपभ्रंशाचीं मध्ये व्यत्यास एवढच, लिव्ह्णे अणी वाचणे.
तंजावूर मराठी पोन्नम्माच तमिलाच गेताला कस येऊन पावल॑ ? खर॑ सांगटलतर, अम्ही अग्गिदनीं हेला जवाबदारी आहों ; गेलते एक-एक पिढीहीं. पोन्नम्मास्कच, अम्हालपणीं अमच भाषा वाचालीं लिव्हालीं कळना. मझ पिढींतल॑ लोकांस॑, ते वेळी तमिलनाडांत॑ होतहोतते हिंदी-विरुद्ध संभ्रमामुळे देवनागरी लिपी शिकाला झाल॑नाही. पण, अमच लेंकरे नातोंडे यांस॑ असलते अडचण काहीं आहेका ?
तंजावूर मराठी शिकलतरच काम मिळेल अस॑काहींनाहीम्हणून अम्हाला कळलतरीन, अमच भाषेला अवमान कराला सोडून द्याला होईलका ? भारतांतच एक चोक्कोट स्थितींत असाच अम्ही हे होयाला सोडताने. अमच संस्कारावरीं पार्यंपरावरीं फार गौरवीं अभिमानीं असणार अम्ही हे होयाला सोडताने. फारच वेगळ॑ जातांतल॑ भाषाच वातावरणांत असूनपणीं साडेतीनशे वर्षावर अमच भाषा वांचून आलाहेम्हणून कळींगून अम्ही हे होयाला सोडताने.
अमच भाषा एक अपभ्रंश आहे अस॑ अमचमध्ये कोणाल-कोणाला वाटतेकी, त्यांसअग्गीन ते एक अपभ्रंशास्कच वाटेल॑. तसच, तंजावूर मराठीला एक भाषाच लक्षण आहे अस॑ वाटणारांस॑ ते भाषास्कच दिसेल॑. पण, नुस्त वाटलतर पुरना. अम्हाला अग्गिदनालीं तंजावूर मराठी लिव्हालीं वाचालीं कळूनच सराम॑. पोन्नम्माच लेंक दाखिवलित्यास्क॑ तंजावूर मराठी सुधारम॑म्हणजे अम्ही ते भाषा शिकलतरच होईल.
(This article first appeared in the souvenir issued by SIMA, Hyderabad, celebrating their 35th Formation Day on 24-11-2013)
Before I answer that, let me tell you something. When I was in elementary school our family moved permanently from Trivandrum to Madras. I had a limited knowledge of Tamil, just enough to go by. I could hardly make out what our new servant maid Ponnamma was talking. Yet it was not difficult to understand her daughter. The puzzle was a no-brainer. The mother was illiterate, but the daughter was in school. The difference between gibberish and language is the same as between illiteracy and education.
How did our Marathi land up in the situation like Ponnamma's Tamil ? Well, all of us contributed to it ; generation after generation. Like Ponnamma we do not know how to read or write our language. For those in my generation the anti-Hindi sentiments in Tamil Nadu contributed to our ignorance of Devanagari script. But is that the case with our children and grandchildren ?
Even while knowing that learning our language is not going to get us any jobs, can we let our dear language be mocked at as a gibberish ? We are one of the most progressive communities in India and shouldn't let that happen. We are very proud of our culture and heritage and shouldn't let that happen. Our language has survived for over 350 years in an environment dominated by another language and we shouldn't let that happen.
To those of us who feel that our language is a gibberish, it will remain a gibberish. Likewise, to those who feel it is a language, it will remain a language ; but even for them mere feelings won't help. We all need to know how to read and write our language. Like in the case of Ponnamma's daughter, education is the only solution.
दक्षिणी मराठी एक भाषाका नाही अपभ्रंशका ?
हेला उत्तर द्याचपुढे एक सांगतों. मी ल्हान असताना, मह्णजे ल्हान साळेंत वाचताना, अमच कुटुंब अनंतशयनमांतून(त्रिवेन्द्रमांतून) चेन्नैला स्थिरहोऊन राहाला गेलों. मला तमिल थोड-थोड येत होततरीन अमच नव॑ कामवाली पोन्नम्माच तमिल मला अर्थकराला झालनाही. पण, तिज लेंकीच तमिल मला सुलभांत अर्थ होतहोत॑. डोस्के फोडाच प्रश्न काहीं नहो हे. मायाला लिव्हालीं वाचालीं येतहोतनाही, पण लेंक साळेला जात होती. भाषाचीं अपभ्रंशाचीं मध्ये व्यत्यास एवढच, लिव्ह्णे अणी वाचणे.
तंजावूर मराठी पोन्नम्माच तमिलाच गेताला कस येऊन पावल॑ ? खर॑ सांगटलतर, अम्ही अग्गिदनीं हेला जवाबदारी आहों ; गेलते एक-एक पिढीहीं. पोन्नम्मास्कच, अम्हालपणीं अमच भाषा वाचालीं लिव्हालीं कळना. मझ पिढींतल॑ लोकांस॑, ते वेळी तमिलनाडांत॑ होतहोतते हिंदी-विरुद्ध संभ्रमामुळे देवनागरी लिपी शिकाला झाल॑नाही. पण, अमच लेंकरे नातोंडे यांस॑ असलते अडचण काहीं आहेका ?
तंजावूर मराठी शिकलतरच काम मिळेल अस॑काहींनाहीम्हणून अम्हाला कळलतरीन, अमच भाषेला अवमान कराला सोडून द्याला होईलका ? भारतांतच एक चोक्कोट स्थितींत असाच अम्ही हे होयाला सोडताने. अमच संस्कारावरीं पार्यंपरावरीं फार गौरवीं अभिमानीं असणार अम्ही हे होयाला सोडताने. फारच वेगळ॑ जातांतल॑ भाषाच वातावरणांत असूनपणीं साडेतीनशे वर्षावर अमच भाषा वांचून आलाहेम्हणून कळींगून अम्ही हे होयाला सोडताने.
अमच भाषा एक अपभ्रंश आहे अस॑ अमचमध्ये कोणाल-कोणाला वाटतेकी, त्यांसअग्गीन ते एक अपभ्रंशास्कच वाटेल॑. तसच, तंजावूर मराठीला एक भाषाच लक्षण आहे अस॑ वाटणारांस॑ ते भाषास्कच दिसेल॑. पण, नुस्त वाटलतर पुरना. अम्हाला अग्गिदनालीं तंजावूर मराठी लिव्हालीं वाचालीं कळूनच सराम॑. पोन्नम्माच लेंक दाखिवलित्यास्क॑ तंजावूर मराठी सुधारम॑म्हणजे अम्ही ते भाषा शिकलतरच होईल.