FROM THE CHIEF EDITOR

I believe it was Bernard Shaw who said, England and the United States are two countries divided by a common language! The sensitive issue of language in this country of many languages continues to dominate regional debate and politics.

From the Chief Editor: Ms.Sharada Nayak -

Mother India and Modern India: Krishen Kak

Ruling By The Pen:Dr.Ganesh Devy

CDI Student Workshop:Constitution, State Policy and Politics:Tribal Perspective

CDI Program at the college

Student's Meet: A Memorable Event of My Life: Prakash Barku Bhoi

Devendra Vasave's:Adivasi Poems: Translated by  Prof. B.P.Jadhav

Folk Theatre:Habib Tanvir and Chattisgarhi Folk Theatre: Lasting Romance

The CDI Camp: A Golden Moment in My Life Bhushan Nikam

Neither Suited for the Home nor for the Fields:Inclusion, Formal Schooling and the Adivasi Child

ERC News, Visits &  Events

The concept of linguistic states followed the nationalist struggle when there grew a greater awareness of language in the country. Linguistic states were created in 1956 and this has drawn firm lines between the regions. However, within each state the dominant language has incorporated different parts of languages from the neighbouring states. Besides variations within each state, there are rural-urban urban differences within each region. There are languages that are spoken by sizeable segments of the population within a state which do not have a script of their own the writing being in the script of the dominant language of the region, - for instance, Konkani and Tulu, languages spoken in Karnataka. My own mother tongue Konkani, is spoken in different forms by people along the coast from Mumbai to Cochin. The struggle to get it recognized as a language, even though it had no script, (having adopted the script of the region in which it is spoken), gained importance when Goa gained statehood and claimed it as its own.

The importance of the mother tongue has been emphasized by educators, especially at the early primary stage, where children struggling to learn another language, have often been incorrectly diagnosed as slow learners.

As we look at the diversity of the country we hear many voices from groups of people once outside the margins of the political arena, now striving for a space where their needs are recognized. It has become increasingly important to foster this diversity and listen to these voices. At our seminars for college students we have had discussions on minorities, especially the adivasis, and the participants have been awakened to a new understanding of and respect for adivasis, their cultural identity, their languages, and their perspectives of education.

This Newsletter therefore has as its theme the mother tongue, languages and scripts, in India with a particular emphasis on the adivasis who we have the privilege to get to know, and learn from, and who have taught us about another India.

By the end of this year we will have embarked on an extension of our learnings from the Campus Diversity Initiative, which has ended after a sixyear involvement of colleges across the country. Building on the outcomes from CDI we propose to link undergraduate college students in collaborative research projects on three themes: People and their Environment, looking at the impact of development on indigenous populations;Women across cultures; Conflict and Reconciliation. We look forward to our continued involvement with colleges and students spread across the country, and will continue to share our experiences with you through this newsletter and our website.


OCTOBER 2003                                                        SHARADA NAYAK