Hyderabad: Scholars and educators teaching Telugu and other Indian languages at various universities across India have highlighted the need for a new approach to promoting the Telugu language. However, they emphasized that this promotion should not isolate Telugu from its connections with other languages, cultures, and the economy.
Prof Shree Rama Challa from the Department of Telugu at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi spoke to The Hans India about the growing interest in Telugu among students from northern India. He noted that Telugu is the second most spoken language in the country after Hindi but has not received enough attention for its promotion. He stressed the need for a serious effort to protect and promote the language.
Prof A Nujum, Chairman of the Department of Modern Indian Languages at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), also emphasized the importance of promoting Telugu along with other Indian languages. He mentioned that AMU has introduced Telugu as part of its curriculum, along with Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, and Kashmiri. The university aims to offer a comprehensive study of Indian languages in one place.
Prof Nujum further pointed out that efforts to promote Telugu should consider its economic interconnections. He cited the examples of China and Europe, where languages are prioritized in education, including specialized fields like technology and medicine. This approach, he noted, has led to significant economic growth, as seen in the rising GDP rates in those regions.
Echoing similar thoughts, Prof Pradyumna Dube from the Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies at BHU highlighted the contributions of Acharya Nagarjuna, a scholar from the Telugu states. Nagarjuna played a key role in spreading culture, architecture, and Mahayana Buddhism to countries like Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Japan. Prof Dube suggested that studying the transnational impact of Telugu language and culture could provide valuable insights.
In summary, these scholars agree that while promoting Telugu is crucial, it should be done in a way that recognizes its connections to other languages, cultures, and economic factors. This holistic approach could lead to greater benefits for the language and its speakers.
