Of a ‘Shubh Sitambar’…

September was a ‘shubh’ month, personally, both in terms of commencement and renewal. Billabong High International School, (BHIS) Santacruz remains among the Kangaroo Kids Education Ltd. schools I have been associated with, perhaps, since its inception.  So, when I was recently entrusted with its reins, it was a resumption of what I have always loved to do, especially within the Kangaroo Kids ethos of making learning fun across grades and not just in the kindergarten.

There is little that can match the enthusiasm, freshness and brilliance that young minds infuse into projects, especially when channelled precisely.  Therefore this month’s celebration of Hindi Diwas was a double celebration for me. At one end, it meant watching my young tots at Kangaroo Kids Kandivali, delighted to discover and explore Hindi, its words and ‘akshars’ and on the other hand , also experience the fluency, knowledge and attachment one forms with a language as exemplarily demonstrated by students from Grade I to Grade IX of BHIS Santacruz.

As the school principal, I had the privilege of meeting with the chief guest of honour, Mr. Nalin Saraf, a writer and novelist who has written many biographies in Hindi. The recent ones being ‘sajan re jhooth mat bolo’ and ‘suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen’ on lyricist Shailendra Kesarilal. The cultural programme which commenced post lunch saw children across grades participating eagerly. Students from Grade 1 and 2 shared their Hindi poems while grade 3 put up a funny skit; grade 4 participated in a crossword puzzle and so on! Mr. Saraf, was enthralled with the participation and shared some great advice which I believe every educationist and parent must heed to. Every child should be introduced to the mother tongue, the local language (which could be the mother tongue), the national language and English at an early age.

I believe proficiency in any language could be attributed to the exposure of the language early on. Kangaroo Kids preschools are among the very few preschools that introduces Hindi to children right since nursery and the success of the model is proof enough of language education being integrated within the curriculum!  Studies have proved that pre-schoolers can grasp up to 21 languages! And language education is critical not just for language proficiency or literature, but also for critical thinking, emotional intelligence development, communication skills and also sharpening analytical skills! Indians are lucky that our children are exposed to at least three different languages on an average since birth.

The journey of Hindi, from the pre-Independence era, then being identified as the national language post-Independence till its current form where we hope to see Hindi recognised as an official language of the United Nations, has been long and intricate. While it is important that no language is politicised, let’s leverage the gift our national diversity offers us and ensure it remains so for generations to come. And ironically, we needn't have a ‘day’ to celebrate our national language then.. No excuses.. It should be entrenched within, for it’s a firm part of our cultural identity. While our minds continue to evolve with and shape this rapid age of globalisation, our hearts will after all be rooted and the language that connects both the mind and heart is the mother tongue!