Chennai: Advocate the learning of more languages, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said this concept reinforces national harmony and adds value to the country.
Unveiling a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha here, the President said Gandhiji had always urged north Indians to learn languages and scripts of the southern states. "In the same spirit, he also set up the Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha (in Tamil Nadu). It is a matter of immense happiness that this Prachar Sabha has completed 100 years working for the promotion of Hindi in our southern States," he said.
Recalling that Gandhi had stayed at the Prachar Sabha here for 10 days in 1946, Kovind said, "By installing his statue now, you (Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha) have paid respects to the values of the Father of the Nation".
Noting that the language of a region can be very educative and help open a window to another culture, he said, "In Delhi, I have observed north Indian students in schools learning Tamil." "Twinning programmes between different states are popularising the language of one region in another. Such steps reinforce national harmony," he added. Kovind also recollected that during the Freedom Movement, the poetry of revolutionary poet Subramania Bharati inspired the people of not only Tamil Nadu but also the other parts of the country. "I must also recall that two of my predecessors in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and President R Venkataraman, were multi-lingual intellectuals from Tamil Nadu whose contributions and ideas went beyond any one language or region," he said.
Pointing out that learning languages of other states has practical benefit as the growing Indian economy was leading to a significant internal migration, the President said young men and women from one part of the country were studying or working in another part, adding value to that host region. "Tamils work in Uttar Pradesh, Biharis find employment in Tamil Nadu. There are millions of examples", he said, adding, "In such cases, knowing the language of the State or region you are located can only be an asset.. It adds value to your CV and it adds value to our India".
Beginning his speech in Tamil, President Kovind said Tamil Nadu has many has many specialities such as the beautiful language, hoary history, ancient culture and skilled workers. "I am happy to visit this State which is one among the favourite States for me", he said.
