World Hindi Day

“Your mother tongue is the language of your soul,” declares HH Param Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji.

“Your brain may think in English, your mouth may speak English, but your soul speaks the mother tongue (whether it is Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannad, Sindhi…). Do not cut yourself off from the words of your ancestors, for much of the wisdom and clarity is lost in translation.

“A dog does not have to learn how to bark; a cat does not have to learn how to meow. A cow does not forsake her own natural “moo” for the chirping of the birds. It is wonderful that you are learning English and French and Spanish and German. These languages will be of a great help to you in your academic and professional lives. But, your mother tongue is the thread that connects you to your roots, to your family, and to your true essence. Do not sever this connection, for it is the tube through which your life-blood flows.

“How can you truly know a culture, be part of a heritage, if you cannot speak its language?”