By Mustafa Fazal Karmali (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
This article was written and published in the Knowledge Magazine in June 2006
M
y heartiest congratulations to the management of Tabligh & Madressa for organizing various programmes to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Hussaini Madressa – (then Hussaini Society). Indeed our ‘’salutations’’ to the founder members for their spirit of sacrifice & foresightedness.
When I was requested to write something (as a past Principal) for the Knowledge Magazine – special issue -, after some thought, I decided to write on something which has been disturbing my mind for quite some time.
Yes, it is the subject of GUJARATI – our ‘’mother tongue’’, our culture, our heritage.
Brothers and sisters, there was a time when this language was taught in schools in colonial times. So, there are people who can read, write, and speak the language. Then, after independence, when the language was no longer taught in schools but was widely spoken everywhere in our community – be it meetings, lectures, or social gatherings etc…, a generation grew, who, though could not read & write, could fluently speak Gujarati.
Alas, now we are witnessing a situation where you can see a generation who prefer to speak English only, in everyday life. This is evident to an observatory mind. As a result, slowly even spoken Gujarati will fade away. Believe me, if things are left uncontrolled if nothing is done to rectify the situation, our second and third generations will not be able to speak even a single word of our mother tongue. Yes, this is the truth, but a bitter truth. It is already there in the West, and slowly we are following the same path. There is a case whereby a grandson coming from the West, cannot talk to his grandparents because he only knows English. What an irony!
It is so sad that other Asian communities have maintained their culture – their sermons and religious lectures etc.. are still mostly performed in Gujarati / Kutcchi. It is only we who prefer otherwise. Let the younger generation know – Gujarati is our mother tongue, it is our culture, and we should be proud of it. After all, knowing an extra language is always advantageous, it carries extra points in an interview – be it for immigration or employment. Gujarati is a uniting factor among Khojas – worldwide. Imagine Khojas from Madagascar, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Sweden having a meeting. Gujarati would be the common language.
I take this opportunity to humbly request all leaders at all levels, and especially in school and Madrassahs, to propagate widely the use of spoken Gujarati, and to emphasise the significance of upholding our culture. If nothing is done fast enough, I am afraid our mother tongue will be lost in oblivion. It would happen like what has happened to other cultures and Indian languages – e.g. South Africa – many South Indians, can’t speak their mother tongue, So, please, let’s wake up before it’s too late.
By Mustafa Fazal Karmali (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
