However literate we are in our own language, when we go to anotther State where people speak a different language from ours, we are no more than an illiterate in that part of our own country. Here literacy is objective. But in case of many of our Telugu superstars, it is otherwise in the case of their tongue Telugu.
For example; Mahesh Babu, Venkatesh and Lakshmi Manchu come from pure Telugu families where their parents could speak, read and write good Telugu. But all the above mentioned stars can’t read or write Telugu as their education happened else where and get their dialogues written in a language they are comfortable with.
Today, February 21st happens to be ‘International Mother Tongue Day’ and the educationalists all over the world opine that any child’s primary education should start with Mother Tongue but the craze for English in India is apparent for academic excellence. Actor Nikhil rightly observes that people speak in English to sound stylish and posh but one should never shy away from speaking mother tongue though it is important to learn English these days.
Nikhil can speak, read and write in Telugu and wants the same for his kids in future. Lakshmi Manchu also says that she will make it a point to make her daughter to learn both Telugu and Tamil (Telugu being her mother tongue and Tamil her husband Andy’s mother tongue). Like in other developed countries, hope in India too, learning to read and write mother tongue would be made compulsory in all the schools.
