Two mothers, many voices

Krishna, who is both Yashoda-nandana and Devaki-nandana, has shown us there can be two mothers. When there can be two mothers, why not two mother tongues?

My mother tongue at home is Tamil. And I was born and raised in Bengaluru, and that makes me a Kannadiga. So, when I am asked about my mother tongue, I say, “Kannada and Tamil”. When there are dual citizenships in many countries, why can’t there be dual mother tongues?

The point to be noted in two mother tongues is two mothers, not two tongues, because having two tongues means being deceitful or lying.

Why do we use Mother to describe a language, land, river, etc.?

Mother means Shradha—an unquestionable faith that she will only wish good for us. She gives her children a sense of safety and courage to face any challenge in life. Language is one way of expressing oneself. That is one of the key modes for others to know us, like or hate us, respect or disrespect us, etc.

So, whom do we give such a crucial responsibility to? Definitely someone we trust, i.e., someone on whom we have complete shraddha. That is why the language in which we are able to express ourselves without any fear is like our mother, our mother tongue.

Just like a mother teaches us culture, a language also has culture in it, which we develop when we use it. For example, in English we refer to a father’s brother and a mother’s brother as uncle. But in most Indian languages, there are different words for each. Take for instance, in Kannada, the father’s elder brother is addressed as “Doddappa” and younger brother as “Chikkappa”. When we address them, it is not just communication but a reiteration of the relationship itself. Similarly, the English word “you” has different versions in Indian languages. In Tamil, for instance, when you refer to an elder person, it is neenga, and nee for a younger person. Such usage innately nurtures a culture of respecting elders. Most Indian languages have in them such valuable culture. Hence, the more languages we accept as our own, as mother tongues, the richer we get in culture.

Nowadays, it is not rare to find couples with different mother tongues ending up with English as a common spoken language. Their children pick up only English. To such couples, here is an appeal: make your kids fortunate like Krishna; give them the gift of two mothers, i.e., two mother tongues, because that way they will be able to express themselves more fearlessly and be culture-rich.

The same applies to all those who have migrated to new cities. You may have a Devaki mother, but the city where you live is your Yashoda, so make her language also your own.

With one mother, if we can feel so secure and happy, just imagine when we are blessed with more than one... allow yourself to be blessed!