Chennai: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has made a strong plea for learning one’s mother tongue and also Hindi and stressed that one should have respect for culture and heritage.
Whenever Mr. Venkaiah visits the city, he makes it a point to drive home the importance of learning one’s mother tongue and to learn Hindi to connect with the rest of the country and also for seeking employment prospects.
While on a visit to Chennai to attend a string of functions, Mr. Venkaiah said, “I cannot speak fluently in your ancient beautiful language of Tamil, though I can understand it very well….” He said that it was important to learn the Rashtra Bhasha (national language) Hindi as most people in the country speak that language and it was also equally important to learn Matrubhasha (mother tongue).
The Vice President stressed this point while taking part in the centenary celebrations of legendary carnatic singer, late M S Subbulakshmi. Heaping praise on her, he said she “lives through her immortal legacy of spreading spiritual bliss through her divine melodies.” The late singer was a “cult figure” who had mesmerised everyone, from Mahatma Gandhi to the common man, with her mellifluous voice. She had recorded Gandhi’s favourite Meera bhajan ‘Hari Tum Haro’ overnight on his insistence and sent it to him on his birthday in 1947.
Mr. Venkaiah said the roots of Indian music could be traced to the Vedic literature, the Sama Veda, in particular and added, that “every note and cadence associated with our ancient music systems has to be preserved and propagated.” MS remains an unsurpassed phenomenon in Carnatic music, he said
Governor Banwarilal Purohit and State Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar, besides family members of Dr. Subbulakshmi and other dignitaries participated.
