London: The 25th International Mother Language Day was gracefully marked at the British Parliament’s House of Lords in London on 4th March. Hosted by Baroness Sue Garden and organised by Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence, the vibrant celebration highlighted twenty-five languages of India and South Asia, presented through poetry and cultural expressions. Doctors, Solicitors, Poets, Councillors, Researchers, University Educators, Singers, Dancers, and other professionals gathered to present their self-authored pieces in their native languages.
A booklet with all these poems, titled Rhyme and Resonance (Kaavya Naadam), was released on the occasion. Mr. Andrew Sutton – Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and Prof. Peter K. Austin, Emeritus Professor in Field Linguistics at SOAS, University of London, spoke at this silver jubilee event.
Dzongkha, Dhivehi, Nepali, and Sinhalese were the South Asian languages presented.
A beautiful Konkani composition, Sobit Amchem Goem, by celebrated writer Manoharrai Sardessai, was presented as a song by Dr. Bernadette Pereira, Savira Araujo, and Paulo Dias, wearing Kunbi dress.
Young children performed a classical dance on a Sanskrit composition, while Sree Lalitha Kotla presented a folk dance on a poem by Padma Bhushan Maithili Sharan Gupt, who was renowned for using poetry to express his opinions as a Rajya Sabha MP.
The program concluded with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Dr. Ragasudha Vinjamuri, Founder of Sanskruti Centre. Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence is a charity founded with the objective of generating a greater understanding of the heritage and cultural diversity of India & South Asia.
Apart from training and presenting classical and folk dances, the Centre has consistently fostered community engagement by promoting languages and encouraging people to learn and write in their respective mother tongues.
