'Pt Nehru rightfully used English to address nation'

JAIPUR: Shashi Tharoor may have steered clear of the Nehruvian foreign policy controversy but the country’s first Prime Minister remains a matter of hot debate. Dimplomat-cum-author Pavan Varma, now says that Nehru’s anglicised “tryst with destiny” speech in 1947 was reflective of colonial hangover.
“Country’s first Prime Minister made his maiden speech in free India in English, which was testimony to how the roots of our own languages were weakened in 200 years of colonian rule,” says Varma, Indian Ambassador to Bhutan, who had another session with the noted lyricist Gulzar on the second day of the 5th DSC Jaipur Literature Festival at at “Baithak” on Friday.
Seated on the dais surrounded by the charpoys and morhas, resembling a true “baithak” in the ambience of a rural Rajasthan, the duo had yet another mesmerising session in which they had their own ways of seeking pan-Indian introspection about country’s linguistic affinity, preferences and love for the “matri-bhasha” (mother tongue).
The topic was “language and identity” and the duo provided enthralling and impeccable logic, through which they defined India’s journey since its first traces of civilization and how linguistic differences have posed roadblocks in emergence of a “unanimous India”. Varma was emphatic about giving Hindi its “due” respect, the poet in Gulzar, however, spoke the typical Hindustani (mix of Urdu and Hindi) to explain the chronic linguistic “siyasat” (politics) that the country has experienced since times immemorial.
The audience too had its variety with a unique blend of informed youth, socialites, artists and last but not the least a few siyasatdars (politicians), as BJP’s top leader Vasundhara Raje too was among the discplined listeners to the poetic logic of Gulzar, which were complimented by some thought-provoking speeches of Varma. Raje too nodded in affirmation when Gulzar said point blank, “It was high time politicians refrained doing siyasat (politics) on linguitic issues.” He didn’t hesitate in citing the example of Maharashtra where a recent ruling necessitates knowledge of Marathi to drive a taxi driving.
Varma was straight in his arguments and said that even after 60 years the constraints remain the same. “Nehru was constrained to deliver the speech in English and things have not changed an inch since then,” he rued. He said that while travelling in Shatabdi you talk Hindi to an individual but the response will invariably be in English. “The country needs to come out of that mindset,” he suggested.
Varma says that India is a country of linguistic heritage and languages should not be seen as a half-caste. “India’s irony is that the educated are adrift of their linguistic responsibility and they feel a sense of superiority in speaking a foreign language and feel inferior while speaking their mother tongue,” said Varma. He said that that language is not only medium of communication but also window of a culture, part of your heritage and inheritance.
Varma said that the colonial advent damaged our language the most and Indian have failed to repair them till date.
“Country needs a cultural audit and find out where we stand.” The sufiyana Hindustani of Gulzar played the moderator as his serene poetic proses gave the elevation that the audience was expecing. “Pt Nehru rightfully used English to address the nation in 1947 as it is always pertinent in a country, where people speak several languages. We ought to learn a language with global reach. But the mother tongue should not be ignored and when it comes to the state of Indian languages I must say that the revolution in this country is half finished and we have still a long way to go.”