By Our staff Reporter
Dehradun, 21 Feb: To celebrate the diversity of languages and cultures on International Mother Language Day, today, the School of Languages in collaboration with the Department of Theatre and Folk Performing Arts, Doon University, organised a programme to commemorate the occasion. The students of the School of Languages steered a vibrant panel discussion on Multilingual Education- A Necessity to Transform Education to a productive conclusion hailing the mother language as the roadmap of success and productivity.
The Department of Theatre and Folk Performing Arts showcased a cultural performance as a tribute to the languages of Uttarakhand.
The panellists consisted of Anuj Joshi, Film Director; Garh Ratna Narendra Singh Negi, and Anthropologist Lokesh Ohri, along with Vice-Chancellor of Doon University Dr Surekha Dangwal. They informed the gathering about their experiences, stating that languages constitute the socio-cultural and psychical identity of the individual.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasised the significance of preserving language and linguistics while connecting the individual to the metaphysics of ‘Maa’ ‘Matribhoomi’ and ‘Matribhasha’. She stressed that the youth today should be confident of their mother tongue and explore folk literature for enhanced global visibility of the culture and traditions.
The students of the Department of Theatre and Folk Performing Arts, decked in native attire, performed ‘Bajuband’ folk songs of Uttarakhand.
In the discussion moderated by the students, Lokesh Okhri called upon the need to actively explore all aspects of one’s culture.
Narendra Singh Negi emphasised that the culture of a region is intimately tied up with its language. Language keeps a culture together. In preserving and celebrating one’s language, one automatically celebrates one’s culture.
Anuj Joshi remarked that the languages are carriers and transmitters of values accumulated over the centuries. In acquiring a language, one automatically inherits tradition.
The students of School of Languages showcased their creative skills by setting up decorated stalls that depicted the cultural aspects of languages like Chinese, French, Spanish, English and Japanese. They also offered various games, cuisine items and bookmarks, related to these languages.
The event culminated with various presentations and short films in different languages given by various departments.
The event was successfully conducted under the guidance of Dr Chetana Pokhriyal, Dean, School of Languages, and the HoDs and faculty members of the School of Languages. The programme was attended by Dr Mala Shikha, Dr Vipul Goswami, Dr Madhurendra Jha, Dr Varun, Swagata, Shanky Chandra, Deepika, Shubhra Kukreti, Dr Savita Karnatak Tiwari, Prof RP Mamgain, Dr Harsh Dobhal and Dr Rajesh Bhatt.
