Professor Ganesh Devy talks about how languages evolve. And how local Indian languages are dying, taking with them a treasure of historical knowledge and wisdom.
“Why are you talking to sparrows?” [Prof. Devy narrates the reply of the Bo woman in the Andaman, the last speaker of her people’s language, who died 26 January 2010]; and continues with Bangla writer, Mahasweta Devi‘s story on death and dignity; and concludes with an urgent appeal for linguistic diversity as a democratic right:
Every language is a unique world view; do not kill it; have tolerance, let diversity live, then alone democracies can be democracies, particularly in a country like India.
Source: TEDxMumbai – Ganesh Devy – 04/03/10 – YouTube
Address : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc76V7rXDqg
Date Visited: Thu Jul 26 2012 19:11:17 GMT+0200 (CEST)
One year after the death of the last member of the Bo tribe of the Andaman Islands (January 26), Survival has warned that the neighbouring Jarawa tribe is also in danger.
Boa Sr, the last of the Bo, died last January aged around 85. The Jarawa tribe number 365 people, and fiercely resisted contact with outsiders until 1998.
Source: One year after extinction of Bo, Andaman tribe in danger – Survival International
Address : http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/6878
Date Visited: Thu Jul 26 2012 19:35:25 GMT+0200 (CEST)
Read or download “Inclusive Education: A View of Higher Education in India” by Prof. Ganesh [G.N.] Devy
Delivered on September 26th, 2010 at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore