Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said that the source of Telugu civilisation, culture and tradition is its language. Commemorating late Gidugu Ramamurthy’s birth anniversary on August 29 as the Telugu Language Day, the chief minister noted that this occasion is aimed at respecting and preserving Telugu.
Gidugu Ramamurthy is a revered figure in Telugu literature. He was a poet and was known for his efforts to simplify the language. “What we have to remember today is that without language there is no future for us. The source of our civilisation, culture and traditions is our language,” said Naidu, addressing a gathering at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram. Noting that Telugu has a great history, the CM said it is the fourth most spoken language in the country with 10 crore speakers, after Hindi, Bengali and Marathi.
In the US, Telugu is the 11th most spoken language, he said and debunked the idea that only knowing English will fetch jobs, citing the case of several Telugu people who obtained primary education in their mother tongue and went on to excel in the US after picking up English later. The TDP supremo vowed that he wanted to see the Telugu community as the top one in the world, exuding confidence that it would certainly happen. Further, he observed that Telugus living overseas have greater love and affection for their culture than people living locally here. He said locals have forgotten Kuchipudi dance but not the Telugus living in America.
The CM noted that the government would work with the National School of Drama (NSD) to set up a centre in the southern state and also give thrust to Kuchipudi dance form. Naidu emphasised that the government will work towards teaching English for earn a livelihood and Telugu to lead life. On the occasion, he gave away awards to people who contributed to the language under various categories. Naidu asserted that the NDA government will reconstruct the state, regain former glory of theTelugu language and take the community forward.