LECTURE
Language Perspective and Indianness
The 11th Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi Memorial Lecture was organized at IGNCA. The literary genius Dr. Ilapavuluri Panduranga Rao spoke on the theme – Language Perspective and Indianness. This auspicious occasion was graced with contemporary literary luminaries. Welcoming the speaker Sh. M.C. Joshi, Member Secretary of IGNCA said that Dr. Rao whose mother tongue is Telugu is well versed with Hindi, English, Sanskrit as well. “He actually built the bridge between North and South”, said Sh. Joshi.
Dr. I.P. Rao said that the day of the lecture was auspicious day (being last Friday before Sravana Purnima) and in South India on this day the Varalaxmi is worshipped. Varalaxmi is not embodiment of wealth only but also signifies the biggest wealth of the world, i.e. Vani or language. Furthermore, he expressed that there are two dimensions of language, one which is spoken and other which is felt within.
Dr. Rao said that down the ages languages and its intricacies on expressions was addressed by many risis. Panini the greatest grammarist who weaved who whole language phenomenon in 40,000 mind-boggling sutras, so he was viewed as Bhagwan Panini even by Adi Shankarachary Patanjaliji mahabhashya on Panini’s work is another landmark. In the context of language, Dr. Rao said that Shruti remained a centre-point of language Referring to Kalidasa he says whatever we listen must be retained the stress point here is the retention of knowledge.
The language and expression is viewed as synthesis of day and night because one can reach this conjection moment through adhyan (study). From vedic point of view if one can bring about a synthesis of day and night then only one can claim to be truthful. Through bhasa or language Indian culture could scale the towering height of civilization. The language can scale the laukik (mundane) bhautik (spiritual) context. He referred to the Gita where Krishna is Gitacharya of language and literature and explained the context. Dr. Rao explained that “Bharata is not India but an illumination of existence, excellence and exuberance”.
Bhasa is not to be spoken or to be listened but it is to be see also, said Dr. Rao. He said, “Saint Thyagaraja wished to view the beauty of music. Here comes the rose of drsta who can view language and feel its aesthetic beauty, but today we are restricting ourselves to the names of language. I f one delve deep into the ancient literature one can realize that the uniformity of thought was prevalent no matter in which languages those were written. However, in the present days especially after post-Independence we have started a search for bharatiya sahitya, as we experimented with Hindi and engaged ourselves in search of words and forgot about sentences. Pannini has rightly said that “right words in right order” is the essence of language. There is no point of weighing the richness of any language. There is no point of weighing the richness of any language in comparative manner because Saraswati stays in all.
The language is embodiment of light and Indianness is love and both are complementing. The destiny of language is to make people humane and if one can see oneself in others and vice versa there lies bharatiyata or Indianness.