Editorial: 1. Bilingualism in Andhra Padesh: Is it an impossible concept?

Let me at first express my gratitude and pleasure that you all are enjoying Thulika. I appreciate your kind comments and support. While the reception in general is great, readers’comments on two articles deserve special mention. The first one is “Woman’s Wages.” I am so pleased that that little story spurred readers to reflect on current conditions. I am grateful to the author, Iswara Rao, and the translator, Sai Padma, for their contribution.

Second story is the “Bilingual Kid.” The messages I’ve received regarding the teaching methods of English in Andhra Pradesh directly from the youth who have been through the system were an education for me.

And some of the professors in my college pointed out to me the English teaching methods/policies put in place in America in the early 1900’s. The BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] started schools to teach [American] Indian children with the sole purpose of “civilizing” and “assimilation” of the children of the native tribes [American Indians] into the white world. Simply stated, it was meant to make young American Indian children to accept the white men’s beliefs and value systems. Their stated policies included uniforms appropriate for the white men’s world and punishing children who spoke their native tongues [emphasis mine]. See the article http://www.aiefprograms.org/history_facts/history.html for complete text.

Despite the apparent similarities, I do see a difference here. The above dissension was between two races, the white America and the native Indians [American Indians]. In Andhra Pradesh, it is just one race—the Andhras. The imposition of English in Andhra Pradesh schools is not from outside. To me, that seems unconscionable!

In June 2001, I commented on the sorry state of or rather lack of Telugu language skills among today’s youth. In response, V.V.S. Sarma, Bangalore, sent me an 8-page article, pointing out that the problem lay in the poorly written, elementary school textbooks [See Sarma’s article in June 2001 Thulika, telugu bhasha dusthithiki kaaraNam telugu vaacakale!]. During my recent trips to Andhra Pradesh, I have noticed Americanization in every aspect—the children’s toys, education, attitudes, clothing, electronics, aspirations, pursuits, careers, not to mention the language, which is a curious mix of Telugu with heavily accented Indian English ...

Until now I was priding myself on the fact that in my country even the illiterate could speak two or three languages at functional level. It appears the situation is strangely different now. The illiterate still could speak two or three languages while the children in schools are being taught to speak only one language and that is English!

During my Intermediate years [first two years of college at the time] I opted to learn Sanskrit. The teacher was a traditional scholar but not educated in English. Therefore, he taught us the Sanskrit language in Telugu. However, English was the medium of instruction and as such, we were required to write the exam in English. In other words, the language I was learning was Sanskrit, the medium in which we were taught Sanskrit was Telugu, and our expertise in Sankrit was tested in English! And, none of us qustioned the propriety of this system, nor were we outraged, much less complained. Today I am glad I took that classs and happy I know al least a little Sanskrit.

Having said that, let me refer back to the article on BIA schools. The Bureau and the parents eventually realized that it would not work and decided to revise their policy. In 1926, the Meriam Report’s recommendations included among several others:

· Do away with “The Uniform Course of Study,” which stressed only the cultural values of whites.

· The Indian Service must provide youth and parents with tools to adapt to both the white and Indian world.

“The Depression had finally benefited Indian people, not because of their unique plight, but because they were at last a part of a national plight. … Indian education should be rooted in the community and should stress the values of native culture,” commented the author. “Children learned through the medium of their own cultural values while becoming aware of the values of white civilization. … [American] Indian schools introduced Indian history, art and language,” he further elaborated.

My question is what does it take for the school administrators, parents, the elite and the government of Andhra Pradesh to realize that they can teach children the English language along with their mother tongue Telugu, which is also state’s official language, and not to the exclusion of ?

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REFERENCES:

American Indian Education Foundation. “History of Indian Education in the US.” http://www.aiefprograms.org/history_facts/history.html. Downloaded 2/22/2003.

Reese, Debbie, et.al. Fiction Posing as Truth. Rethinking Our Classrooms.A Critical Review of Ann Rinnaldi’s My Heart is On the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl. www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/13_04/review.shtml. Downloaded 2/20/2002.

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In the current issue: Family and community values.

I must admit that after finishing my selection for the current issue, I have noticed two things: the themes and the authorship.

Originally, I did not plan on it but it looked like all the stories written by women have a common theme—the abused woman.

The first story, “Frostbite” is a 1960’s story. At first, I was not going to publish it. Then I received the two stories “Come Back, Vennela,” and “Dreams ‘n After.” Sai Padma [translator] and I discussed the story at length. She said the story is still very relevant in modern times. She told me that such marriages are still taking place and gave me two examples. In one case, the woman saved her marriage through in-vitro fertilization and bore a child, and in the second case, the woman left in-law’s home, improved her educational qualifications, got her degree and made a living for herself. [For more translator’s comments]

In the 1960’s, women were naïve and passive. It was the transitional times when women became aware of their identities but were not sure what to do about it. Vakula in “Frostbite” represents a vast majority of young women of that era. Vakula understood that she was wronged. And she used silence as her weapon to register her protest. As for the the ending, it seems most of the readers are seeing it as suicide. Late Achanta Janakiram, back in 1966, and Sai Padma now read the ending as suicide. It was not really clear in the story. Besides suicide, it is also possible that the in-laws poisoned her fearing the truth will come out if she returns to the natal home, which in turn ruins his chances to remarry! Or, it could simply be an accident. I agree with Sai Padma. The death is not the point. The truth is her spirit was killed [See translator's comments]. The story, “Reform” discusses one of the inherent problems in our society—child marriage—the marriage of a 12 twelve year-old girl to a sexagenarian. Ranganayakamma, well-known for her analytical thinking presents powerfully that it is not enough if one has the goodwill to save a young woman from a horrible marriage. One can not educate people about the value of a principle just by sabatoging one such arranged marriage. The most powerful statement, in my opinion, came from the 12 year-old girl who was living the problem. While others around her try to save her from a horrendous marriage, only she could see the depth of her situation. The story challenges us to dig deeper before trying to fix a problem.

In the 1980’s and the 90’s, things started changing. The young women, while respecting the tradition and family values, and respecting their parents, also have learned to put their convictions into action. Satya Sarada in “Come Back, Vennela,” and Suryakumari in “Dreams ‘n After,” both writers from current generation, present the inner feelings of the women who were forced to make tough decisions—a reality in the present day society. In both the stories, the main characters have taken steps to get out of dfficult situations. But their options come with a heavy price. Are there options that do not carry a heavy price?

Another common factor in these stories is the support of the families in all the four stories. Ironically, the in-laws in “Frostbite” and “Dreams ‘n After” do support their kith even when it meant supporting for a wrong reason. As Sai Padma put it aptly, “Men do not to lift a finger, they don’t have to. Mothers and sisters fight their battles.” In “Come Back, Vennela,” the mother-in-law shows her affection for the daughter-in-law in ways the latter did not care for. In “Reform,” the older sister who arranged the marriage was convinced that she was doing her duty; considering her economic situation, she had no way of bringing a better match for the little one. Probably, this is what Anandaramam meant by her comment, “We can not blame men or women. We should blame the society.” (Sahitya prayojanam, 1992). To me it is beginning to look like catch-22.

The next two stories reflect on the community values in Andhra Pradesh. Traditionally the community bond is as strong as the family bond. The two stories, “Middle Class Complex” and “Lemon Rice” illustrate the interactions of the people within the community while highlighting their idiosycrasies, hopes, fears and aspirations. Also the changes that are taking place as a result of modernization.

Mullapudi Venkataramana is a renowned humor writer, has been writing since 1950s, and is known for creating hilarious scenes using the idiosyncrasies and aspirations of the middle-class. “Janata Express” is the name of a train. The author compares a middle-class complex to bring out the bond between these families on one hand and the differences in their aspirations [destinations] on the other. Into this conglomerate an element of arranged marriage is built, giving the story a solidarity of purpose. That is very Andhra-ish. Everybody is determined to fulfill his or her own dream and at the same time see the neighbors are well-settled in life.

“Lemon Juice” stresses the change in perception. The Andhra people forge quickly as a family even when they are not related. However things are not the same in recent years, especially in big cities. Modern civilization has taught us to insulate ourselves. The author traces the change that took place in the story “Lemon Rice.” A young man [Bhaskar] moves to Bombay and his uncle wants him to befriend their old friend Ramanatham who belongs to higher social stratum. Bhaskar’s uncle, still living in the village and cherishing the old-fashioned values could not see the barriers that have arisen as a result of modernization. Even for Bhaskar it was a revelation. Class distinction takes priority over the old communal values.

The intricate familial relationships and communal values in Andhra are not easy to explain. I hope the readers would make some sense of it after reading these and other stories.

N.M.

March 2003