New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged the media to play a major role in bridging the language barrier and bring different cultures together.
Modi said, “For ages, language has always been a very powerful vehicle for the most popular ideas travelling across time and distance. India is perhaps the only country in the world with so many languages. In a way, it is a force multiplier. But language has also been exploited by selfish interests to create artificial walls in the country to divide. Today, I have a humble suggestion. Can we not use the power of language to unite India?”
Modi suggested media publish one word in 10-12 different languages spoken across the country which will gradually help a person to learn over 300 new words in different languages.
“Can media play the role of a bridge to and bring people speaking different languages closer. This is not as difficult as it seems. We can simply start with publishing one word in 10-12 different languages spoken across the country. In a year, a person can learn over 300 new words in different languages. Once a person learns another Indian language, he will come to know the common threads and truly appreciate the oneness in Indian culture. This can also give rise to groups of people interested to learn different languages. Imagine a group in Haryana learning Malayalam and a group in Karnataka learning Bengali! All big distances were covered only after taking the first step, can we take the first step?” Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the conclave of Manorama News in Kochi via video conference from New Delhi.
