Do we need a foreign coach?

mar 27th, 2007

actually the foreign coach is the least of the problems. the real question should be, "do we need foreign bookies in D-company to do the dirty deeds?"

or even better, "can we wean ourselves off this toxin?" yes, a national detoxification is needed.

i haven't read the piece (sulekha's ads annoy me too much) but i'd support the idea of regional-language instruction with english and hindi as additional required languages. this would avoid the production of deracinated individuals. i find that my modest knowledge of malayalam gives me a tremendous sense of rootedness. thanks to my father who insisted i study it in school rather than take the easy way out with high-scoring french or tamil.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Girish K

In his outstanding piece The English Class System Sankrant Sanu quotes Kenyan writer Ngugi WaThiong'o on the effect of devaluing our native languages:

"The effect (of a cultural bomb) is to annihilate a people's belief in their names, in their languages, in their environment, in their heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacities and ultimately in themselves."

In the light of India's defeat in the cricket world cup, it is time to revisit this question. The cricket board thinks pouring money on a foreign coach will bring miracles, which obviously did not happen. This is nothing but the annihilation of the people's belief in their capacities. It is pertinent to note that India was better in sports till the 50's when their self-belief was not completely destroyed. In hockey and even in soccer (remember, they stood fourth in soccer in Melbourne Olympics) and even in athletics.

It is ironic that Indian languages were devalued more after Independence. Instead of asking us to throw out English and replace it with Shuddh Hindi, Sankrant gives highly practical solutions. The most important is to revert to the regional language as the medium of instruction at the primary school level.



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