Thursday, November 3, 2016

Sourashtra Script Issue !

UPAMANYU’S Report on the E.C. Meeting of Sourashtra Madhya Sabha, held in Ayyampettai on 22.2.2006.
And published in Voice of KUSO (Monthly) (Official Journal of Karnataka United Sourashtra Organisation) in May 2006 issue.
In the last Executive Committee Members Meeting of Sourashtra Madhya Sabha held in Ayyampettai on 22nd February 2006, it was decided to inform the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India that the Official script for Sourashtra Language is Devanagari. It was announced by the General Secretary Sri E.Santharam that the Asst. Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Chennai is the close friend of Sri Venkataramanan of Erode. It is reported by Sri Venkataramanan that if we tell our decision that the official script for Sourashtra language is Devanagari, then things would move fast and grants could be released by Government for the development and teaching of our language in Schools.
Though it was announced that everybody would be given chance to speak on this vital issue, yet many could not get opportunity to tell their views and were disappointed. The decision was announced by the President Sri P.G.M. Thulasiram in haste without discussing in depth the pros and cons of adopting Devanagari script for Sourashtra Language. The role of Educationists was missing.
The names of the persons who talked in the meeting are less important. The contents of their talk are more important.
The advocates of Devanagari could not come out with facts and figures about the percentage of Sourashtra people knowing Devanagari Script. They could not explain the reasons for non-implementation of the decision of adopting Devanagari script by Sourashtra Madhya Sabha right from the year 1920 (in which year the Fifth Sourashtra Samuha Mahanadu took place and in which meeting the official script was changed from Sourashtra to Devanagari). Even after 85 years, Sourashtra Madhya Sabha could not do anything for the development of Sourashtra language. There is not even a Sub committee to look after the development of Sourashtra language. It has continued to reaffirm that the Official Script for Sourashtra Language is Devanagari and continued to forget the same after passing the resolution with the result, it is not implemented even today. The condition is that of a person in a dessert whose effort is wasted by believing mirage as water.
They walked a long distance of 85 years and yet could not do anything for the cause of Sourashtra language. It is a pity that they continue to print everything in Tamil language only ignoring Sourashtram which is only spoken in the meetings. (Some people prefer to talk in Tamil rather than in Sourashtram !)
The General Secretary proclaimed that from the next meeting onwards, the notices etc. will be printed in SOURASHTRA language in DEVANAGARI Script.
The advocates of Sourashtra script are now eagerly awaiting the publications of Sourashtra language in Devanagari script so that they can point out the blunders that the Devanagari groups are going to commit.
(Already Jutty Suns Ad Page has started printing Sourashtram in Devanagari script with wrong pronunciation which is horrible to read!)
(That is in 2006 !)
The advocates of Devanagari are not bothered to study the literary form of Sourashtra language and not bothered to practice the written form of Sourashtra language. They assume that once Devanagari script is learnt they can master all the languages written in Devanagari viz. Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Konkani and of course Sourashtram also ! They are also under the wrong notion that if Sourashtra language is written in Devanagari every Indian who knows Devanagari will read Sourashtra language! Those who want to do business with Sourashtras only will come forward to learn Sourashtra language. Sourashtras who want to do business with north Indians have to learn Hindi language for which the knowledge of Devanagari script is required. There is no need for our writing the Sourashtra language in Devanagari script which in no way it is going to help our business people to boost their business. They are going to talk in Hindi only!
Many Educationists find it difficult to spare some time for the development of their mother tongue. In the absence of initiative by Sourashtra Madhya Sabha and other Sourashtra Sabhas and Associations in all towns, the growth of Sourashtra language is not commendable. Sourashtra Madhya Sabha alone is responsible for this state of affairs. The Government is also evading under one pretext or other.
The only way to succeed is to write Sourashtra language in Sourashtra script only.
Those who do not know the Sourashtra script must come forward to learn and practice it. As a stop gap arrangement, we can use side by side Tamil script with superscript numbers 2,3, and 4 for the consonants ka, ca, Ta, ta, and pa (as in vogue now). Text books are to be written for 1 to 5 Standards. Grammar and Dictionaries are made available. Dialect variations are to be ironed out and the written language is to be standardized. More and more reprints of old Sourashtra literature are to be brought out for reading by all
When compared with Indian scripts, Sourashtra script is the most scientific, uniform and the simplest script. It is devoid of complications in spelling and pronunciation which can be seen in Tamil and English! Those who have studied Sourashtra script only will realize this aspect. Without trying they assume that it is very difficult to learn.
It is hoped that the next Office bearers of Sourashtra Madhya Sabha will change their decision towards Sourashtra script which is being printed by Madurai Sourashtra Sabha in their Brahmotsavam news bulletin.
The future generation will definitely appreciate the services rendered by the journals Bhashabhimani and Zeek in propagating the Sourashtram script. When people are trying to evolve a new script for their language where no script is available, it is a pity that some of the Sourashtras who could not appreciate the acumen of Gadya Kesari Medhavi T.M.Rama Rai, show disrespect to our elders and scholars of Sourashtra language and advocate discarding the Sourashtra script.
UPAMANYU.

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