My cousin, Shontu is a bit of a genius. Apart from being a rich and successful media professional, the otherwise shy Shontu is also a language expert. He is a proven pundit of not one, not two but four different languages.
Shontu can walk, talk and rock in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese with equal élan. Of course, he also claims to be an exponent of the Mishing, Hmar and Tangkhul languages, but I would rather like to believe in his mastery over the first four more recognisable ones, because geniuses often have the bad habit of exaggerating.
There is a very interesting anecdote about my French bearded brother’s meteoric rise as a language genius. The seeds of his talent were sown right in his childhood, but he was then blissfully oblivious of his enviable calibre.
As enamoured by the glory of English education as anyone else, Shontu’s parents also put him a convent school. The bespectacled genius of course didn’t take much time to adjust himself to the missionary surroundings. In only four years of English medium schooling, he mastered the Queen’s language and went head and shoulders above his peers.
He was now a perfect English kid, spitting English quotes and proverbs all the time, even when not needed. But one day, Shontu took his English expertise way too far. Back he came from his school and gleefully shouted, “Hey Mom , hey Dad, what’s up?”.
That was blasphemy in an educated Bengali middle class family, where English education was important, but values and maintenance of traditions were paramount. A kid who had been taught to address his parents as the good old “Maa and Baba” and touch their feet every morning, was now an expert of English slangs!
Shibu Kaku (as I called Shontu’s father), decided that was the end of my cousin’s English odyssey. He was admitted in a Bengali medium school the next very day. Poor Shontu was back to “Maa and Baba” in a bang. But that step did him wonders, he picked up his mother tongue like fish to water. The change made him more matured and made him aware about the importance of learning more languages. And, so, he keenly learnt Hindi, the national language and Assamese, the state’s language with great interest.
Even today, he shudders when I remind him of “Hey Mom, hey Dad.......” and swears that he would strictly make his kids stick to “Maa and Baba”.......come what may.
But wasn’t Shibu Kaku a bigger genius himself? Had he not taken that seemingly drastic step that day, Shontu would have remained a one language freak like me and many others of our generation. The story also has a message for all the English education aficionados that, there is an urgent need to rebuild our education system, otherwise many rich Indian languages might die untimely deaths.
Shontu can walk, talk and rock in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese with equal élan. Of course, he also claims to be an exponent of the Mishing, Hmar and Tangkhul languages, but I would rather like to believe in his mastery over the first four more recognisable ones, because geniuses often have the bad habit of exaggerating.
There is a very interesting anecdote about my French bearded brother’s meteoric rise as a language genius. The seeds of his talent were sown right in his childhood, but he was then blissfully oblivious of his enviable calibre.
As enamoured by the glory of English education as anyone else, Shontu’s parents also put him a convent school. The bespectacled genius of course didn’t take much time to adjust himself to the missionary surroundings. In only four years of English medium schooling, he mastered the Queen’s language and went head and shoulders above his peers.
He was now a perfect English kid, spitting English quotes and proverbs all the time, even when not needed. But one day, Shontu took his English expertise way too far. Back he came from his school and gleefully shouted, “Hey Mom , hey Dad, what’s up?”.
That was blasphemy in an educated Bengali middle class family, where English education was important, but values and maintenance of traditions were paramount. A kid who had been taught to address his parents as the good old “Maa and Baba” and touch their feet every morning, was now an expert of English slangs!
Shibu Kaku (as I called Shontu’s father), decided that was the end of my cousin’s English odyssey. He was admitted in a Bengali medium school the next very day. Poor Shontu was back to “Maa and Baba” in a bang. But that step did him wonders, he picked up his mother tongue like fish to water. The change made him more matured and made him aware about the importance of learning more languages. And, so, he keenly learnt Hindi, the national language and Assamese, the state’s language with great interest.
Even today, he shudders when I remind him of “Hey Mom, hey Dad.......” and swears that he would strictly make his kids stick to “Maa and Baba”.......come what may.
But wasn’t Shibu Kaku a bigger genius himself? Had he not taken that seemingly drastic step that day, Shontu would have remained a one language freak like me and many others of our generation. The story also has a message for all the English education aficionados that, there is an urgent need to rebuild our education system, otherwise many rich Indian languages might die untimely deaths.
3 comments:
I guess I need a 'Shibu Kaku' in my life .... I remember during my graduation days, I met one of my friend in book fair and I was really ashamed when he described to me with each ease many English and Bengali literary works that he had read and books which he wanted to buy ... but within few days I was shameful no more.... i forgot everything and lived blissfully.....at times I have such attacks of shamefulness ... but they all are shortlived... anyways I am having that attack once again .... I feel one or tow english movies will do the trick.....keep walking, BRO!!!
I faintly remember the story .I remembers you told me about a cousin of yours.
All I can say to other readers of the blog is that "This aint a Fiction".
And time and again we have seen people who stick to their roots have not only have strong hold and expertise on indigenous issues, wits and knowledge but also are equally bestowed upon with exceptional abilities to receive knowledge values and from external environment with equal precision.
A nice piece of non-fiction that seems simple that delves deep into the social issues of cultural identity crisis and distortion!
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