Wednesday, April 16, 2008

CULTURE AND LANGUAGE

A culture and a language can slowly face a decline especially when it is in coexistence with various others and when these others are constantly engaged in a campaign to prove their superiority.
The best method would be to try and establish that the others are more suited for civilised evolution than the native culture and language.
Even if there are some benefits and positives in these others,does that mean that the native culture and language should be allowed to diminish themselves.
The native sentiment is always welcoming to the others as it is a settled sentiment and does not have any imaginary or real threats.
The others while settling down into the native population cannot let go of their beliefs.
The problem arises when the others become a part of movements formed to assert the supremacy of the other cultures in the areas where the others thrive.
The problem becomes acute when these movements or organisations are in a position to dominate and influence the native goings on.
Having an organisation which promotes and defends their thinking is different from being actively involved in the efforts of the others to maintain and retain supremacy.
Some cultures and languages are inevitably older.
It is in order that the members residing in the native retain their identity on their own without associating themselves with the outside forces.
When such activities are identified by the natives ,they get uneasy and start to discard the elements that have crept into their culture through association.
At this juncture,the natives and their leaders are vilified.
This can be seen across the world where one or the other culture language or religion is sought to be established as the real and the best.
It is only when attempts are made to tamper with the native beliefs and practices that order is disrupted.
The south americans and the aborigines have all but lost their native languages and cultures.
The group with force always imposes its thinking as the best.
Commerce and culture should be separated to avoid conflict.
The dravidian parties talk about the dravidian culture,the samajwadi party does not at all talk about culture whereas the bharatiya janata party has culture written all over it and is attempting a propagation of its version of culture.
Some young people can be seen online exhibiting their hatred of periyar and the dravidian movement.
These youngsters will someday realise that the dravidian movement fought for the rights of the natives who were being left out of their own cultures and whose languages faced a bleak outlook when the movement started the anti hindi agitation.

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