MoI Issue- My outlook

While I set out to write this piece, I am probably inviting a lot of people to judge me, to comment on me, to be very critical and comment on everything that I am going to say. Probably because everybody reading, will come in with their pre-conceived thoughts. Ironically, the active participants of MoI issue will feel that I am a hardcore BJP supporter, or let me put it in the most obvious tags like, ‘Blind Parrikar supporter’. And because of some things, the other half would say I am just another critic who is criticizing the ‘Parrikar government’.

1^st and foremost, yes, I was an active participant in the MoI movement held against the then Goa Government. Also, I openly wrote articles against the policy framed and actively participated in all the activities. But, as the time progressed, and as I observed the movement and the problem closely, I realized that I was wrong to have protested. (Hold on before you abuse. Complete reading!) Guess why? Government- Be it formed by any party will do what the majority wants, why? Because in a democratic set up, what a government does is what the majority wants. But since the majority is ignorant, it is compelled to do what the minority wants.

 I am amazed by the kind of arguments that is put up just so that every government that comes to power is pressurized to take back the grants that are given to English medium primary schools. They say if the government takes back the grants, the parents would send their kids back to government primary schools. So, in a way this will happen out of helplessness and not out of will. Is this the amount of love that we have for our mother tongue? Do kids need to be compelled to love their mothers? Or do they need to have it naturally? Our mother does so much for us in our entire life that our conscience doesn’t let us do anything wrong to her. No one forces us to love our mother. Then why should someone force us to love our mother-tongue! And in the first place, is taking back grants the solution for the prosperity of our beloved mother-tongue? Is it? I confidently say, surely not. When the MoI policy didn’t give grants to the English medium schools, even then the government schools had just 4-5 students and just 1 teacher for classes from 1 to 4. So, even when the policy didn’t exist people didn’t opt for learning in the regional language. The reason being, lack of proper infrastructure, standard of education imparted and unavailability of capable teachers.

And what are we fighting for? That the grants should be taken back? Have we ever tried to fight for and ask for better government primary schools, good teachers and an environment conducive for the process of learning? What kind of language lovers are we if we believe only in fighting for our language and doing absolutely nothing for our language! I remember Uday Mhambro sir continuously putting up on Facebook about the lack of teachers in the government primary school in his village where he sends his daughter and how helpless he feels on not being able to provide his daughter with quality education just because he has always believed in learning through mother tongue. And I remember it never trended on facebook. Just 3-4 likes and it all evaporated in air. None of the lovers of regional languages appeared to ask for better schools. Like they didn’t seem to care. All that most of us knew was what the government should do. And had no clear vision on what we as lovers of language should do.

It is we who call ourselves the true lovers of regional languages who are responsible for everything that has been happening to our languages.  Because it were we who found pleasure in pulling down Digambar Kamat’s Government. It was we who said that Manohar Parrikar’s Government came to power because of us, and now we can pull him down if we want to. The issue of Medium of Instruction isn’t on anybody’s mind at this point of time. It’s our ego. We all  are planning to probably use the zeal- the energy of youth in the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls to show case our power. We want to teach our Chief Minister a lesson. Obviously because he didn’t fulfill his promises. He is the culprit. He is the sinner. He should be punished. He should be taught a lesson in the elections to come. We need to show him HOW MUCH we love our language and the only way is to pull down Mr. Parrikar. The problems would solve after that. And yes, none of us should do anything constructive for our language. All that we can do is, ‘Play the blame game!’ in the name of love for our language!