Date: 04 Aug 2000 17:14:22 EDT
Subject: Re: Indian vernacular writing anno 1997


Hello Thomas,


The original post had the source and year of the Prasannarajan piece at the end,
although not the exact date:


Copyright  1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd. 


I left it out by mistake when I copied it onto my response.

----you wrote---------- 

One of the most interesting observations Arundhati Roy

made on her wonderful Charlie Rose appearance was that in India most people
don't really know any language, although too many claim they know English and
many other regional languages. 

----------------------

Yes. My sense is that there is a big difference between spoken knowledge of
several Indian languages including English (very common) and true literacy in
them, especially the degree of literacy required in order to read literature.
Many of the younger generation being educated in English-medium schools no
longer read in their own mother tongues, even if they do speak it at home. (Of
course, where would they have the time, unless they took it as an exam subject?
They are too busy cramming for exams, both in school and in after-school private
tuition sessions.) To the extent that there is a resurgence, though, with
parents signing their nursery-school children up for special after-school
lessons in their mother tongue, I suspect it's part of a Hindu
nationalist/regionalist  thrust. Just a guess based on some limited
observations, though. 


Josna



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