Living in this modern era, are we forgetting our own roots?
It’s just a normal Sunday evening, and our family gathers around the hearth like the ordinary Naga family we are. I sit beside my pets sipping tea and reflects on my days alone. How elated it is to be back home, the aroma of smoked pork and bamboo shoots from across the kitchen corner assuaging me after an arduous semester.
As I was gazing at my neighbour’s cat through the window, some children distracted me from my reverie with their laughter. I couldn’t much understand what they were going on about.
I got to eavesdrop on their conversation which staggered me on so many grounds. It was about someone’s accent of spoken English and how hideous they sound.
Living in this modern era, where every little aspect is advancing and growing around us every single day, but with this change and mutation in this generation, are we forgetting our own roots? Should one be embarrassed to speak with their own tribal and local accent? Or be sorry for not fitting into this transfigured world?
The conversation between those children hit like a rock on me and I felt an urge to deliberate on how we sometimes or to be more precise, most of the times, feel inferior about the way we talk with our friends or new people we meet every now and then. How often we make fun of the people around us at their way of speaking English or even at our own friends, chiding each other whenever our very own local accent pops out between our conversations. But there lies a question, where one should ask, Isn’t this who we truly are? Why are we running away from our own roots where we hailed from? This is our identity and where we significantly belong to.
We are so driven with the new age and rather than understanding about one’s own lore, we often switch to other’s culture and rather than learning our very own dialect, we choose to learn “French, Korean”, the list goes on. This is the reality we stand today where we are so intrigued by outsiders, always trying so hard to flag other traditions but what about our very own cultural heritage. It’s fading as the days and years are passing by.
Nevertheless this whole pitch is not about degrading any race or culture; in fact, every individual has the right to choose whatever and however they want or feel spiritually inclined to, but it’s a message to each individual that never be apologetic and embarrassed towards your essence of accent, be proud of your very own identity and be modern with your roots always growing along with you.
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Source: The Hindu, 17/04/22
