A bid to save Maithili, Bhojpuri

Whenever you hear the words Bhojpuri or Maithili, you simply relate them to a couple of vulgar songs. Very occasionally, you may have even sung a few lines of those songs with friends in jest. But ever given a thought to the fact that each language has its own prestige that it has garnered through centuries of existence, . 

Today, when Maithili is on the verge of becoming extinct, a group of intellectuals from JNU and vice chairman, Maithili-Bhojpuri Academy Ajit Dubey came together to make people aware and perhaps change the mindset of people towards the language.

The impact of the speakers was clearly visible on students who attended the programme and agreed to what those intellectuals pointed out. When Metrolife interacted with Sanjay Kumar, pursuing M Phil (Hindi) from JNU, he said, “I agree with Prof Rajesh Kumar Majhi’s opinion.  It cannot be denied that Maithili and Bhojpuri have become synonymous with vulgarity these days, thanks to few people who in order to earn few bucks are creating a negative image.”

But he asks people to realise that it is the language of a region. “Some beautiful songs have also been written which represent the age-old tradition of that area,” says Sanjay.
Meanwhile, Ravi Kumar Jha, first year student of MA (Hindi), JNU calls it the prominence of English that has a drastic impact upon the regional language. “Maithili and Bhojpuri are losing ground because English has become the language that assures a job. In such a scenario, there is no development of the language. So, how can a language gain its relevance when there are no takers,” says Ravi.

Pointing out that when international students make an effort to understand and learn our language then why can’t we give it the same importance? Jawahar, a student of Korean language in JNU says, “I belong to Champaran, Bihar and have a great respect for the language. When I visited Korea as part of my curriculum, I met Koreans who insisted on knowing about my language. They even tried to learn a few words. So, it became clear that we shouldn’t have a complex about our language but give it the respect it deserves.”
AM