#SoCS Oct. 10/2020

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “medium.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

So many languages are spoken in my country that it would be difficult for me to name all of them. In my state, Karnataka, people speak Kannada and its many dialects, Konkani, Tulu and many more languages. The medium of instruction in schools is Kannada or English. Usually Government schools are Kannada medium schools and the private ones are of English medium.

There is always an ongoing discussion on public platforms about the medium of instruction in schools. It is a sad fact that many Kannada medium schools in different parts of our state are closing down due to lesser number of students joining these schools. Parents prefer sending their children to English medium schools because they believe it is good for their children and they will have a better start in life. And there are many who believe that English will make all other languages less important. I read about this in the newspaper but I don’t really know much about what is happening in schools because our children crossed that stage of life long back. In fact, our daughter and son-in-law are in Germany and their children are learning in German medium schools 😊.

We were in Delhi in the seventies. In school we learnt Social Studies in Hindi and other subjects in English. After a few years, Social Studies too was taught in English. Whichever the medium of instruction, those who want to learn will learn. Students have to put a little more effort when they study a new language but nothing is impossible.

I remember my mother studied in a Kannada medium school. She loved reading and read books written in Kannada. After marriage she moved to different parts of the country as my father was working in Indian Railways. He was mainly posted in North India. My mother did not get Kannada books there. My father told her if she wanted to read, she should learn the language. Her love for books was so much that she learnt to read in English, Hindi and Telugu. Where there is a will there is a way. If we really want something, we will definitely find a way.