'Increased use of English cause of concern'

Mumbai, Oct 14: Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna today said that it was a matter of concern that children and youth are drifting away from Indian languages due to the increased use of English and Roman scripts which are convenient and computer friendly.

''This may pose a threat to Indian languages and scripts in the long run. Some times I wonder if 10 years from now, students will be able to write a letter in their mother tongue with the same fluency as students of the present generation do now,'' said Mr Krishna adding that children's literature should be made available both in English as well as Indian languages.

The governor was inaugurating a three day seminar on 'Jnanapeeth awardees and the works' organised by the Mumbai university at its Kalina campus in suburban Mumbai.

According to him, major book stores in large cities should be persuaded, if not compelled, to keep a separate section for books in Indian languages, both for elders and youngsters.

The governor said the world will be keenly interested in the works of the Jnanapeeth awardees which holds its appeal for readers in the respective languages even today. The world was acknowleding India's feats in technology and the time is not far when it will take cognizance of the country's rich literature too, he added.

The Governor, who is the chancellor of universities in Maharashtra, said in the absence of popular patronage, the libraries in India are mostly under utilised, ill equipped and experience perenial shortage of funds.

''Libraries are not in a position to buy books as per the demand of readers. We cannot seek financial assistance from the government from time to time. I personally feel that major publishing houses and corporates should support public libraries in India, set up new libraries where there is none and inculcate the culture of reading in the society. At the individual level, people should buy good books and promote the habit of reading in their family. If more people read books, the publishers will be compelled to bring the cost of books down to an affordable level,'' he said.

He congratulated the Gurudeo Tagore Chair of Comparative Literature of Mumbai University for organising this seminar on the works of Jnanapeeth award winners.

''It is indeed a matter of satisfaction that far from being affected by the media blitzkrieg unleashed by the television, computer, internet and multimedia, good literature is in demand and people are still reading books. This is just the right time when we should be thinking of translating the works of all awardees in different Indian languages,'' he added.

Mr Krishna said it was perhaps for the first time that a galaxy of Jnanapeeth award winners have descended on a single platform. ''We are fortunate to witness this beautiful confluence of knowledge, intellect, flair and humanity in our lifetime. The beautiful languages of India form the streams of this confluence,'' he added.

UNI