Mother tongue is the foundation of our cultural identity, says Sreenivasa Rao

Former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi K. Sreenivasa Rao on Friday said that when we speak of preserving languages, we are essentially speaking of preserving mother tongues since every language is someone’s mother tongue, and it is through the mother tongue that a child first experiences the world.

“A mother tongue is much more than a medium of communication. It is the first instrument through which a child understands family, society, culture, and values. It shapes thought, emotion, imagination, and identity. It connects individuals with their history, traditions, literature, philosophy, and spiritual heritage. It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that one’s mother tongue is the foundation of one’s cultural identity,” he said in his address at the 58th Foundation Day of the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL).