Representative image of an inscription in ancient Tamil language
Credit: iStock Photo
Chennai: Madras High Court Judge, Justice N Anand Venkatesh, has said that a Tamilian will never accept the imposition of a language on him, though he willingly learns other languages out of his own volition and does not oppose other languages.
Addressing an event here, Justice Anand Venkatesh recounted him recently watching the Tamil film 'Parasakthi' with his son, which captured the anti-Hindi stir of the 1960s.
After watching the film, the judge said he asked his son whether he knew about the language struggle. When he answered that he was not aware of it, the judge said he felt ashamed and failed in his duty. "This history must be known to everyone," he said, addressing law students here days ago.
He said: "As the senior advocate N R Elango said, all of us are aware that without knowing English, it would be difficult to go beyond Tamil Nadu." Furthermore, the judge said: "A Tamilian does not oppose other languages, but, out of his own wish, learns other languages too. However, considering my language's (Tamil's) antiquity and in view of my sense of pride associated with my language, if others impose a language on me, I will never accept it".
"Hold your head high and say that I am a Tamilian, and when there is an insult to language, your voice must rise, and it is our duty, under all circumstances, to rise and guard the language and never forget it," he said, adding that the recent Keeladi excavations have confirmed Tamil's 3,500-year antiquity.
During his school days, the judge said, the impact of that struggle was still felt. Tamil was lively in classrooms and textbooks, and it echoed vibrantly in film dialogues too; to the extent that he could learn classical verses, grammar and even ideology like Communism from cinema, and it was such times.
The judge said: "However, times changed. Marks became everything, and those who studied Tamil moved to Hindi, French, and Sanskrit (in higher classes to secure more marks in board exams). Today, we realise how grave a mistake that was.
A language is not about marks — it is our breath, our identity. When marks became more important, other languages began occupying the second-language space in schools, leading to a gradual decline in students' interest in Tamil.
Tamil took a step backward and now is the moment for the next great effort. To live in Tamil Nadu without pride in a 3,500-year-old language is a disgrace to Tamil."