Kalyani Nandurkar wrote:

Dwarakanathan wrote:

We are learning English language for the sake of earning money but not giving the same interest in developing our own language at least in our country.

Exactly, learning and mastering English will help us grow financially, other vernacular languages are but limited for local communication. These language can help us have a wider network within our country but outside it doesn't serve any purpose.

 

Well, Japanese have definitely defeated this popular misconception that only by learning English can a person grow and prosper. Within our own country too, education in vernacular languages is quite good and better in many ways and I know many people who have become quite successful in spite of learning in vernacular schools. It is only when one contemplates dealing with foreign countries, that the issue of English may arise. When one Indian has to deal with another Indian, why should English be preferred?

I agree with what you're saying, but let us be practical here. Learning one's mother tongue is the first thing to do, followed by learning English. If for instance I land up in Chennai, learning Tamil is not possible, but here English will come to my rescue. In a country where people are divided on the basis of language, English does help us sail through.

Well Mousumi, I can only say one thing, read Sunil's post! I totally agree with him. All the nationalities and many others whom he has not cited here cannot be said as being impractical because they learn in their own languages and not English. For one thing, it is only a few people who are rather uptight in their attitude because they consider themselves as modern and progressive are the only ones who claim that without English, our country cannot progress. Knowing English does help, but not knowing it is also not harmful or degrading in any manner. Please note that, I too, am not against learning English, but I feel that the hullabaloo that is placed in learning English is just too much beyond limits. It is this attitude that has degraded our education system. Our vernacular schools were doing quite well and education was better. But then some silly dumbass produced this idea that education has to be in English, which produced teachers not conversant properly either in vernacular languages or in English, what we have now got is a silly combine of 2 or 3 languages with English in the lead and all the languages with plenty to be desired for.