RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has expressed serious concern over the fast declining use of Indian languages in daily life. Speaking at a book release event in Nagpur, he said many people in India today are losing touch with their own mother tongues and this trend is weakening the cultural foundation of the country.
Bhagwat was addressing the audience at the launch of the English translation of the classical Marathi text Shri Dnyaneshwari. He said that several young Indians cannot speak their family language with confidence and many families have stopped using their native language in conversations at home. He added that this situation cannot improve unless families take the lead and actively speak these languages with their children.
According to him, the issue is not the presence of English as a global language but the absence of pride and regular use of Indian languages. He explained that earlier Sanskrit and other native languages served as important languages for knowledge, trade and common social life. Today, many Indians depend on foreign scholars to learn Sanskrit which he described as an unfortunate situation for a country that once shared this language with the world.
Bhagwat said that when families stop using their native languages, the cultural ideas and traditional knowledge contained in these languages begin to fade. Many deeply rooted concepts in Indian languages have no accurate equivalents in English and lose their depth when translated. He said this creates a cultural disconnect for younger generations.
Experts say that the shift away from mother tongues is driven by many forces such as the rise of English medium education, movement of families to cities, increasing mixing of communities, and the growing influence of digital platforms where English or a few major languages dominate. As a result, many children grow up with limited exposure to their own regional languages.
Scholars have long argued that the loss of a language also leads to the loss of unique cultural memory, folk traditions and local identity. India is a country with immense linguistic diversity and each language carries centuries of social and cultural experience. If they fall out of regular use, recovery becomes difficult in a short time.
Bhagwat clarified that he is not opposed to learning English or any other language. His appeal is for a balanced approach. He said that every family should speak its mother tongue at home so that children can naturally grow up with fluency and cultural understanding. He also said that Sanskrit should reach every household because it connects the vast body of Indian knowledge across regions.
Many language researchers say that revival is possible if homes, schools, media and government work together. Families can use their native language in daily conversation. Schools can strengthen regional language instruction. Digital creators can produce more content in local languages. Public institutions can support preservation and promotion of languages that are on the verge of decline.
Bhagwat concluded that the strength of Indian society lies in its cultural roots. If the country wants to preserve its heritage, the first step must begin inside homes through simple everyday practices of speaking and respecting native languages.
