‘Making Tamil compulsory for govt services is a good move'

Linguist rights activist Komakkambedu Himakiran shares his opinion, “It is mandatory to know the language of the land to serve. Without knowing Tamil how can anyone serve in TNPSC? Only in India will such a law even start a debate. It’s mandatory to know the language of the land to just go on a study or work visa. To migrate, you need to clear proficiency tests in the local language like TOEFL. Germany makes it mandatory to clear several advanced levels of German to migrate there on a work visa. You have to learn Tamil in school in the state board which accounts for 96-97 percent of school-going students even now. If someone migrates and settles here and wants to take up TNPSC, they will now make sure they learn Tamil in school or outside. When compared to other states, Tamil Nadu has the highest percent of mono or bilingual proficiency, meaning people who know Tamil or Tamil and English.”

Playwright Gowri Ramnarayan believes that one must make use of every opportunity to learn a new language. And why not Tamil when you live and work in Tamil Nadu? It will be an advantage at both works and play. We indeed dislike anything we are compelled to do, but one can see it as an opportunity. After all, it can’t be so difficult for any Indian to learn an Indian language — even if it is not the mother tongue, as it would be with foreign languages like French and German which people do opt to learn for various reasons. And if Tamil happens to be your mother tongue, it should be a pleasure to learn it. After all, language is culture and culture gives us our values in every sphere of activity including the socio-political,” says Gowri.