Language - Still a Barrier!

Kem Cho? Kevi gayi chokrao ni rajao?? 

Didn't understand? Its simple Gujarati. If you cannot read Gujarati ..sorry you cannot read further. 

Puzzled? 

Don't be! It's coming from the bitterness that I experienced this week. 

I took almost a month long sabbatical from blogging, I had thought when I write after school re-opens it will be fresh and energetic just like I was feeling. 

But this experience not only hurt me as a Mother but also a resident of this prestigious society I am living in. 

Since the time we came and lived here in Pune, I experienced caste discrimination.. Yes in a metro city like Pune!!! After living abroad, you tend to get into the habit of greeting people in public places, even if you don't know them. I used to unknowingly do the same. But I was often answered by stern glances and worse tilted necks. Slowly I gave up. Gradually I understood, it was not me. It was my NON-Maharashtrian look and Hindi conversations with N that was leading me there. Then I cared a F**CK! 

Further down the line, I met like minded people who came from diverse backgrounds - different castes..and even different religions... and we not only got along well - the differences never came in between our friendships or liaisons. 

I ignored the extensive use of Marathi language in Annual General Meetings as well as Cultural Programs and took it in my stride. 

Then came 2nd grade, when Marathi was a subject for N. She wasn't happy cos it was harder than others. However I insisted that she should learn the language as 

1- Its always good to know different languages. 

2- we should always know how to read/speak in the local language of the place where we are living in. 

And this week my positivism towards the use of Marathi language was shattered when my child was refused blatantly to participate in the Annual Inter-Society Cultural Program because she didn't know how to speak Marathi! Yes the drama is being held in Marathi.

Most of the people I know who are reading this - will find it absurd.. some will even find it horrifying and some might think I am over-thinking/feeling. 

But I was hurt and made to feel like an immigrant. Just like I sometimes felt when I was in US. 

Yes - I have gathered myself from there and told myself - NO. Nobody has the right to make me feel that ways. But those 

couple of hours I just couldn't sit still. 

N had earlier told me, if her she-friends are going only then she will participate. But that day when she saw only S her best he-friend participating - she gathered the courage and went to take part on her own. I purposely didn't go with her so she gets to experience on her own. I so wish I should have. Atleast she wouldn't have gotten rejected on the basis of not knowing a Language! What an amazing way of discouraging a child! I am only having my fingers crossed that she doesn't have the bitterness towards this prestigious Inter-society event that is supposed to bring people from different 

cultures together rather than sectionalizing!!!

It was not that she could have got a role of 6-7 minutes in the play being the new entry, even if she knew Marathi.. Even the smaller children who are performing since 2-3 years are getting 1 liners. Only the seasoned kids are getting more stage-space as well as limelight. And that was fine with me. I only wanted an experience for her. Even a role without a dialogue just as a group participant would have been more than welcome at this early age. But No. The co-ordinator shut all communication right at the door-step and didn't even take responsibility for the same. Blamed it on the director who had come to take care of the play. 

Yes. You must have guessed by now. I didn't leave it at that. I contacted the Competition Organizers to let them know what all people do in the name of competition. Also mailed and demanded answers from the society. However, 1 thing that I couldn't bring myself to do out of humility was ask these organizers who also are moms.. "What if someone does this to your child? What if your child is refused a chance cos he/she cannot converse in the National Language? How will you feel?" 

The mother in me hopes that day comes. Yes I am selfish that ways. And the Aquarian in me cannot forget/forgive these things easily. 

I can go on and on cos of all the bitter taste I have acquired.. but I just cannot fathom this thought process. 

How can a language...a competition...a culture...a caste more important than a HUMAN BEING??

Was it that hard to give a simple audition to her and see if she can try and say a line???

And if it was pre-decided who all are going to participate - why do the formality of letting it go on the society group?? Just announce the eligibility as well as the entries without further discussion! 

Are these events held to further discriminate between local and cosmopolitan crowd??? Or these festivals and events are 

for people to come together and create a better world for the next generation???

By having such small thinking - are we not snatching away the right to globalization from the next generation???

We work in MNCs for International companies and want to send our children to International schools and be ready for entering foreign countries and face the world. But aren't we really robbing them the chance of opening their wings in the smaller setup..amongst their own peers??? 

The mom in me is going to try my level best that this incident should not affect N at all and she looks forward to any event with full fervor and energy.. but the scar this leaves for me, cannot be wiped out. I cannot ..just cannot think of removing my judgmental glasses at all. 

Let's not forget that all this branches out from 1 Nation..