Comments on: Forgetting Mother Tongue

By: Gauri Gharpure

Gauri Gharpure — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:33:41 +0000

i can relate, for i yearn to speak in Gujarati and Marathi here in Kolkata.. TV is a great way to keep in touch.

By: manju

manju — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:36:17 +0000

It's a mystery why people try to forget their mother tongue on purpose!

In the case of the Punjabi gentleman you have mentioned, I wonder why he had not tried to keep up with his mother tongue by reading books or magazines?

By: Santanu Sinha Chaudhuri

Santanu Sinha Chaudhuri — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:55:19 +0000

The story of Hafeeza is most interesting. Significantly, after 17 years, she recognized her children immediately.

The cases of Hafeeza, Chanchal Singh and the other Punjabi gentleman are different. They indeed had no choice. But there are so many who try to forget their mother tongue. One can only pity them.

By: Roshni Mitra Chintalapati

Roshni Mitra Chintalapati — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:55:35 +0000

very interesting. In case of the two individuals who were stranded in other countries with no one to talk to in their own native tongue, I think it quite understandable. However, a 3 month hiatus to forgetting is seriously too hard to swallow!!

By: Anurag Sahai

Anurag Sahai — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:29:59 +0000

In 2003, a friend came over home and was slightly disturbed that my son, all of four years was not comfortable in english and was conversing only in hindi, our mother tongue. He advised me, quite seriously, that in line with changing times we must speak to our children in english, which is a global language.

While my wife and I did give it a thought, but things did not change even as our younger kid grew up.

Two weeks after having relocated to another country, we feel glad that we did what we thought was right and that our kids our well connected to their roots. It is surprising how many Indian children around can understand, but do not want to converse in their mother tongue!

Anyway, to each his own. We have our reasons, they must be having theirs!!!!

By: nsiyer

nsiyer — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:49:47 +0000

Sir, I have come across certain specimen(s)that they chose to converse only in English despite the fact that I have conversed with them in Tamil knowing they are fully bred Tamilians.Strange but such kind do exist.

By: Ugich Konitari

Ugich Konitari — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:12:08 +0000

This post brought back some old memories. When I was in college, some young people went on a 3 month exchange program to the US where they stayed in local families. We had a presentation by these young people on their return.

There were some people, who claimed to have forgotten Marathi in 3 months, and spoke whatever little they did with an American twang. Their families, amazingly , were impressed.

So forgetting, or even trying to forget your mother tongue was a prestige kind of thing for some people.

Disgusting.

By: Sucharita Sarkar

Sucharita Sarkar — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:38:50 +0000

Forgetting my mother tongue (no confusion there, both my parents and my spouse are Bengalis) will be nearly impossible in my case, as wherever I have lived, Bengalis seemed to be in abundance there.

By: Swatantra

Swatantra — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:07:22 +0000

Really strange but interesting!! My mother tongue is Punjabi.. and it makes me feel good if i speak in my language and i do not leave a single chance to speak in my own language as with the language i get my own identity also back…