The Importance of Hindi (To me)

You can be Chinese, Palestinian, Greek, French or Japanese ; but what really makes you part of that community?

Do you feel you fit in with those of your motherland?

What makes you, you?

These questions can have a pallet of answers to a pallet of people, but let me tell you about my personal opinion and how I side with Tan on the importance of my mother tongue. (Hindi) 

Firstly, I have never formally learnt Hindi in school, thus my father made it his duty to teach me the language on the weekends. My impromptu, informal classes stopped at age 12, consequent to me being able to read, write and speak proficiently. The fact that he did this, demonstrates how important us Indians consider learning our language, even if we don't require its use in English speaking countries.

Hindi has been of importance to me for three main reasons. The first and most paramount reason would be for conversing with my own. This means when I go back to India, I can talk to street vendors, relatives and even the local kids over there. Whether its playing street cricket, haggling, or asking the rickshaw driver for directions, knowing my mother tongue, (literally) helps me get around. More importantly, I can talk to my Grandparents, who don't speak English. Imagine, not being able to converse with those of your own blood and their treasure of wisdom due to the barrier of language, horrific eh? Moreover, if I was to speak English in India, I would appear to be a foreigner resulting in a different treatment and not being in harmony/unison with the local culture there. In fact, Colombians call them "gringos" , Indians call them "Gora's" meaning a "misfit" or a derogatory term for a white person. Thus, my somewhat "controversial" argument is that any human can live in any place in the world and call it their house, but there will only be one place which they can call home, which is their motherland .

Now think of this if you wanted to walk into your home but you didn't have the keys would you be able to get in? 

Absolutely Not! (No smart answers like the window are allowed). Similar to this, your mother tongue is almost a key for you to blend and mingle with those of your own ethnicity. That was point numero uno. 

Point number 2 is the fact that your mother tongue gives you something which you can call your own ; something which creates an intimacy between you and the speaker. One example, would be talking Hindi to my parents and sister on an abroad trip. Be it making fun of the lady adjacent to us's hairstyle, my mother telling my father that the item is to expensive or simply getting a discount at an Indian store because we both speak the same language, the sensation gives me an immense satisfaction and a sense of coziness when I use it. 

Okay, I think coziness took it too far.

Ultimo punto (the last point),  is the fact there are vista's of works to explore I have unlocked by knowing my mother tongue. This means that I can understand Hindi Poems, Hindi Movies, Hindi Songs and tons of other works of art that subtitles or Google Translate don't do justice to. If I was only equipped with English I would not be able to explore these fantastic works of art that my own rich culture has to offer with the same depth.  

In conclusion, Hindi has been a huge equalizer for me as it helps me fit perfectly into the Indian society even with the barrier of being an NRI (Non- Resident Indian).  Moreover, my mother tongue, gives me a sense of identity and belonging whilst providing cascades of different arts for me to explore.

Until Next Time, 

मेरे दोस्त (Google Translated - My Friend)