10th Nand Chaturvedi Memorial Lecture Held
Udaipur: The 10th Nand Chaturvedi Memorial Lecture was organized by the Nand Chaturvedi Foundation on the occasion of the 103rd birth anniversary of Nand Chaturvedi. The event took place on April 21 at the Central Auditorium of Kota Open University under the chairmanship of Prof. Kailash Sodani.
The keynote speaker was Prof. Sanjeev Kumar Dubey from the Central University of Gujarat. The program began with a floral tribute to Nand Chaturvedi, followed by a welcome address by Dr. Rashmi Bohra.
Speaking on the topic “Language of Education and the Challenges of Indian Languages,” Prof. Dubey highlighted Nand Chaturvedi’s expectations from the education system and said that the core spirit of the National Education Policy aligns with his vision. He noted that Nand Chaturvedi envisioned education rooted in Indian ethos, which the current policy also emphasizes.
He identified multidisciplinary learning, multilingualism, and flexibility as key features of the new education policy. Referring to the proverb “Padhain Farsi, Bechein Tel,” he stressed that the policy promotes outcome-based education and the practical application of knowledge in real life.
Explaining the difference between teaching a language and teaching through a language, he said that while students should have the opportunity to learn English as well as various Indian and foreign languages, the medium of instruction should ideally be the state or regional language. He emphasized that the mother tongue connects individuals to culture and indigenous knowledge, and it is everyone’s responsibility to pass it on to future generations.
Discussing the three-language formula, he categorized language as the language of knowledge, identity, and self-respect. He advocated learning all languages for acquiring knowledge, while describing the mother tongue as the language of cultural identity and the national language as the language of national pride.
Citing examples from different states, he pointed out that the growing trend of converting Indian language-medium schools into English-medium institutions poses a major challenge to preserving mother tongues as mediums of education. He suggested that scientific and technical terminology should be enriched through Indian languages rather than relying solely on Sanskrit, and emphasized the need for uniform terminology across Indian languages. He also highlighted the importance of both individual efforts and government support to make Indian languages languages of knowledge.
He further remarked that while language unites people, it can also divide when tied to identity. Referring to the Eighth Schedule, he noted that major languages include several mother tongues, and Hindi alone represents 56 such languages. He cautioned against fragmentation of major languages into multiple linguistic identities, calling it a significant challenge.
In his presidential address, Prof. Kailash Sodani stated that language, attire, and food define our identity, and losing this identity makes individuality meaningless. He observed that while India achieved political independence, mental independence is still lacking, and its effects are still felt. He emphasized that school education should be imparted in the mother tongue, as also recommended by the new education policy, and that meaningful research should ideally be conducted in one’s native language. He added that Indian languages play a crucial role in nation-building and that progress depends on indigenous thinking and approaches.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof. Arun Chaturvedi, while the program was conducted by Dr. Anurag Chaturvedi. The event was attended by several distinguished scholars, including Prof. Manju Chaturvedi, Prof. Madhav Hada, Dr. Sadashiv Shotriya, Dr. Madhu Khandelwal, Dr. Rajni, Dr. Kumpawat, and other intellectuals from across the state.
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