International Mother Language Day / अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय मातृभाषा दिवस

IIT Jodhpur celebrated International Mother Language Day (अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय मातृभाषा दिवस) on 21 February 2021 with colorful cultural performances by the students, staff, and faculty members in online mode. The event began with an introduction to the historical significance of the celebration and the United Nation’s resolution on protection and preservation of mother languages across the world. The event witnessed soulful performances by staff, students, faculty and family members of the IIT Jodhpur community. The cultural performances included:

Hindi Recitation by Mr. Lakshya Nitin Tandon

Hindi Song by Mr. Kartik Sharma

Bengali Poetry/Recitations by Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Mrs. Rakhi Mitra, Mr. Saptak Bhatta, Mr. Suryanshu Mukhopadhyay

Bengali Songs by Mrs. Madhumita Banerjee, Dr. Srijan Sengupta, Mr. Turban Bera

Odia Dance by Ms. Tejaswi Tannishtha Patra

Boro Musical Performance by Mr. Dwimalu Boro

Sindhi Recitation by Ms. Hitisha Khatwani

Marathi Song by Mr. Vinit Gore

Telegu Song by Dr. Kshema Prakash

Tamil Poem by Mr. Andrews Cyril

Malayalam Songs by Mr. Akshath Krishnan, Ms. Niranjana H, Ms. Anagha S Ajith

Multilingual Kathak Group Dance by Ms. Manasi Khobragade, Ms. Sristi Jain, and Ms. Anupama Patel

Multilingual Group Song (Mile Sur Mera Tumhara) Ms. Kalyani M Sawai, Mr. Kartik Aggarwal, Mr. Nikhil Mitawa, Ms. Devanshi Parmar, Dr. Kshema Prakash, and Dr. Rajlaxmi Chouhan

The theme of the 2021 International Mother Language Day, is “Fostering multilingualism for inclusion in education and society,” with focus on inclusion and leaving no one behind. As we celebrate the linguistic diversity of our country where (As per 2011 census), there are more than 120 languages and 270 mother tongues, we tried to create an overall Language Diversity Map of the IIT Jodhpur campus.

Here are some of the observations:

Of about 380 responses, in terms of language we speak While there is a massive Hindi-speaking or Marwari-speaking population among both staff and students, the overall structure shows speakers of almost all languages from different corners of the country are present on campus. Languages we can write in also have a similar distribution. Our fraternity is also truly diverse and multilingual. Nearly everyone on campus understands both Hindi and English. From about 380 responses received, on an average, a person at IIT Jodhpur understands (may not be able to write) at least 3.5 languages, including English and Hindi. Which means that in addition to Hindi and English, our members understand at least 1 more language, which is remarkable. Our residents also come from a wide range of other languages and dialects such Marwari, Rajasthani, Dhundhari, Tulu, Haryanvi, Garhwali, Awadhi, Malwi, Hadauti, Pahadi, Kulluvi, Bundelkhani, Magadhi, Bhojpuri, Poonchi, Sambalpuri, Kumaoni, Konkani, Khandeshi, Halbi tribal, Kashi (meghalaya), and many many more.