Language Day
LAST Monday was International Mother Language Day. In Pakistan some seminars were held but they had no impact on the national discourse. Few in this country consider language a significant…
Celebrating languages
It is not all doom and gloom in this country as some pundits would like you to believe. Yes, there are challenges, and there are warmongers, but there are also…
Language puzzles: Part – II
The second half of the programme focused on the plight of native languages and asked if they were dying in Pakistan and what might be done to arrest that. There…
SNC and languages
Since the Single National Curriculum was made public by the incumbent government a rigorous debate has emerged, involving prominent experts in education and language policies. The critics deem the SNC…
The myth of preserving a language
The myth of preserving a language has its roots in the idea of ‘nationalism and cultural superiority’ which is common to all postcolonial societies. When a language is deemed as…
Campaigning for languages
Pakistan is often seen as, and rightly so, a hard country for campaigns. Campaigns, whether on human rights, education, civil liberty, constitutional rights; on environment, culture or languages often face…
Language for the middle class
I want to begin by stating the assumption that this article assumes there is value in 'selling' socialism to the middle class in Pakistan. The reason the word selling is…
The language question
Winter brings its own festivities in Karachi. Last month, the three-day 2nd Sindh Literature Festival (SLF) concluded in the city. The event drew speakers from other parts of the country.…
Language and identity
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his mother language that goes to his heart.”…
Forum for language
When we look at the cultural diversity of Pakistan we see a beautiful bouquet of diverse cultures and languages, embedded in the rich history of the ancient Indus Valley, Gandhara…
