The charm of learning a new language!

‘English Vinglish’ – A lot has been written, a lot has been said and a lot has been discussed about this film. May it be the impactful dialogues or the nuanced screenplay – director Gauri Shinde has done a commendable job. Much acclaimed for its relevance across audience categories, the film is a complete delight to watch, as much for its appealing content as it is for the charismatic performance of Sridevi. What I am going to talk about however is a related yet slightly different topic i.e. ‘The charm of learning a new language’!

Language, ya Bhasha, gives life to life. While the expression of love may not need a language yet the same expression of love becomes so much more enticing when done with a beautiful set of words. Many a times we are able to remember certain events or cherish certain moments not for the way they happened but for the way a particular person said a particular thing. Language also helps in connecting people across boundaries. All it takes is a few minutes for two strangers, who hail from the same country, to become friends in a foreign land. I remember meeting a Fijian old married couple when going to a desert safari in Dubai. While we were watching the belly dance performance, the Fijian lady commented ‘Waise toh rule laga ke rakha hai ki short kapde mat pehno; ab yahan pe aise dance chal raha hai toh koi problem nhi hai in logo ko :P’. Now, without endorsing or subscribing to the viewpoint, there was an instant connect. It felt so great; in the sense, you have somebody from a country that is thousands of miles away from India yet so close when it comes to culture and language. What followed was a memorable discussion. We talked about a lot of things ranging from their traditional attire to their cuisines. I was especially delighted to hear about the Hindi writers in Fiji.



Language is the foundation of culture. Our understanding of a culture can never be complete unless we know its language. There is a famous Czech Proverb which goes like ‘Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem’ meaning ‘You live a new life for every new language you speak. If you know only one language, you live only once’. Not sure how many people will agree with this but learning a new language is therapeutic in nature. It is an engaging activity that not only is fun to pursue but also enhances the positivity in the learner’s attitude. And you do get to learn so many new things as well. Honestly speaking, my idea of a Romance Language was that of a language which probably has some relation with poetry or has lot of literature written around the feeling of love until one of my friends who is learning French told me that it actually refers to the languages that have derived from Latin e.g. Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.

However, I would agree that much of what I wrote above doesn’t hold true when it comes to learning English. I think a lot of it derives out of the fact that English is not really seen as a foreign language in India. Lot of Indians can speak very good English. And those who cannot are often looked down or picked for the incorrect usage of grammar. This not only takes away the whole charm and fun related to learning a new language but also leads to a huge amount of insecurity amongst the person struggling to learn the language. What is even sad is the fact that a huge chunk of population in India now values knowing English far more than knowing their mother tongue. Sadly though, it only takes the younger generation away from their native culture. How many of us do read books written in our mother tongue? How many of us know the name of last year’s ‘Sahitya Academy Award Winner’? Rather do we even know that such an award exists in our country?

But we feel amused when we come across a foreigner who can speak even a little bit of Hindi (or any of our Indian languages). We would even go out of our way to teach him/her a few new words. Well if we can be so appreciative of a foreigner trying to learn a few words of our mother tongue, why can’t we be appreciative of somebody amongst us who is struggling to learn English. I think this is one of the major points that Gauri Shinde has wonderfully depicted in English Vinglish and hopefully we all will be able to realize the importance of it.

Just so that the charm of learning a new language doesn’t get replaced by a gamut of insecurities :)

A 'Nano' for the 'Student of the Year' ???

I, initially, thought of posting this article on a new blog that I have been planning to start for quite a while now i.e. ‘lifeatiimr’; however, while organizing the various thoughts that I was planning to pen down, I felt it is better that I post it here only.

Let us start with a question. What do you think can be a good reason for you to join a particular company/organization? A lot of organizations that I come across nowadays claim that they are very different from other companies and the argument that they have to support this claim goes like ‘We have a really diverse workforce. We have a drummer and a writer working in the same team’. While a lot of people may like and appreciate this, I always wonder why it should be such a great Employee Value Proposition at all. I don’t think diverse workforce can be a great reason for me to join a company. After all I don’t join an organization so as to get a chance of being in the company of a music enthusiast or an upcoming writer. I would rather join an interest group if at all I wish to inculcate any of these talents. With due regards to the respective talents, the most compelling reason for a person to join a particular company should rather be getting an opportunity to work on a project of his/her area of interest wherein he/she can make a meaningful contribution and enhance some of his/her professional and personal skills in the process.

While it is true that having a diverse workforce enhances creativity and leads to interesting discussions at times, it should not be the prime reason for joining a particular organization nor should it be the prime EVP from the organization’s point of view. The most important reason should always be the nature of work opportunity and a clear description of associated roles and responsibilities. Why I say so is because a lot of my friends often tell me that they feel like useless in their current roles at their respective organizations. And most of these organizations are renowned MNCs. So the point is, while things like diverse workforce, creative outlook and other fun activities are important, work is the most important thing that one should focus on while selecting a particular organization. The satisfaction derived out of having made a meaningful contribution at your work is immense and that's what matters the most in a longer run.

Moving on, let us talk about the marketing strategy of Tata Motors’ much talked car ‘Nano’. I often wonder whether it’s the marketing strategy that is lacking or is it the product that has some problem. Well to me the problem seems to be located at the marketing front. Attempt after attempt the promotion just seem to be going wrong. For example, the latest marketing campaign wherein they have associated Tata Nano with the movie ‘Student of the year’ and have invited the students across campuses to participate in a series of competitions. 

As per the information on web, the Nano Student of the Year will be awarded with a Rs. 3-lakh scholarship, the first runner-up will get a Tata Nano and the second runner-up will receive a Macbook Pro. Now the whole concept seems completely at fault. First of all ‘Student of the year’ is a glam packed movie featuring a school so posh that such a school might not even exist in real in the entire country; and where the students on the very first day of their joining come in some of most luxurious cars available out there. Now attaching what was meant to be a common man’s car to such a film seems a little odd at the very thought of it. Secondly, why would you give a Tata Nano to the first runner up and not to the winner of the competition while the whole reason behind the competition is to promote the car?

Look at the promotional campaign of the recent season of KBC. ‘Gyan hi aapko aapka hak dilata hai’! Simple and clear positioning! I think KBC is one of the best positioned products that everyone can identify with especially the common man. In my opinion the marketing team of Tata Nano should have associated themselves with the current season of KBC rather than a glamorous movie like ‘Student of the year’. Giving away a Tata Nano instead of Rs. 200,000/- cash prize or may be a Tata Nano + Rs. 800,000/- instead of Rs.1,000,000/- would have been a good way of marketing the car to the right customer segment through a right channel.

In the end, just came across this nicely written article on 'Pagalguy.com' - 'Swapnil Dharmsktu, only female student at IIM Kashipur is 'most wanted' during group assignments for 'other' view point [http://www.pagalguy.com/news/swapnil-dharmsktu-only-female-student-iim-kashipur-most-wanted-during-group-assignments-other-view-point-a-29367]'. The poor gender ratio at most of the Indian BSchools is saddening so to say the least. In an era where more and more women are joining and leading the corporate workforce, lack of healthy gender ratio limits the overall learning experience to a great extent. Hope the situation will improve in the coming years!

Don’t quite agree with the above opinions? Well then leave a comment and let us discuss it further …