It was Quaide Millath Mohammed Ismail Sahib, who was the first leader to pronounce in the Constituent Assembly to make Tamil as a common language in the country because of its rich history and literature, said All Religious Affinity Movement state president Haji J Mohamed Rafi.
He was speaking at the International Mother Language Day event organised by Hindusthan College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore when he said that Ismail sahib played a pivatol role as a member in the Indian Constituent Assembly which framed the Indian Constitution and recalled the contributions made by Quaide Millath for the cause of Tamil language.
Shedding light on International Mother Language Day, he said that this is observed on February 21 across the globe every year wherein it is celebrated as a day of linguistic and cultural diversity. The world has more than 7,000 languages and the multilinguism is celebrated through this day. International Mother Language Day reminds us how words connect us, empower us and help us communicate our feelings to others. India alone has about 22 officially recognised languages, 1635 rationalised mother tongues, 234 identifiable mother tongues, according to Census 2001. International Mother Language Day was first observed in 1999 by UNESCO, a specialized agency of the United Nations that stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
UNESCO has been celebrating International Mother Language Day for nearly 20 years and aims to promote mother tongue-based multilingual education. Every year, there are different themes to celebrate International Mother Language Day. And this year’s theme of International Mother Language Day is indigenous languages as a factor in development, peace and reconciliation, he noted.
In this connection, ARAM state president referred to Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO quote– “Indigenous peoples number some 370 million and their languages account for the majority of the approximately 7,000 living languages on Earth. Many indigenous peoples continue to suffer from marginalization, discrimination and extreme poverty and are the victims of human-rights”.
Earlier, principal Dr R Ponnusamy welcomed while others who were present at the event included M Rajan, S Radhakrishnan, Pappa Ramani.
ARAM State President Recalls Quaide Millath’s Contributions To Tamil Language
