'No society can live without its language'

English has become a dominant language in our country but that doesn’t mean that we give up on our language”, says Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Nand Kishore Acharya who believes regional literature reflects real concerns and problems of the society.

“When people write in the language they think in, they paint a real picture of the society. We can’t ignore the importance of English in today’s world, but at the same time, we should not forget our roots,” Acharya tells Metrolife.

“No society can live without its language and societal changes are reflected in the original language through mediums like theatre and literature,” he adds.

Presently, the 71-year-old is a professor emeritus at International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad and teaches political economy and human rights. Born in Bikaner, the playwright, poet and critic is one of the foremost creative writers of our times.  He has written 9 plays, 15 poetry collections and around 8 books on literary criticism.

Apart from this, he has written several plays like Vihantar, Hastinapur, Gulam Badshah and Kisi Aur ka Sapna, among others. According to Acharya, theatre is an “investigation of human psyche”.

“When you watch a play you try to identify with the actor on the stage. The emotions they go through, you too feel them,” he says. Acharya’s areas of interest are literature, non-violence and Gandhiaism, ancient Indian polity, scientific humanism, culture and history and education.