Aligarh: Highlighting the significance of India’s linguistic plurality, Prof. M J Warsi, an eminent linguist and former Chairperson, Department of Linguistics, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), delivered an invited lecture at the two-day national conference on “Bhartiya Bhasha Pariwar: Strengthening National Unity through Linguistic and Literary Exchange”. The event was jointly organised by the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Shillong, and the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, Ministry of Education, Government of India, on August 28-29, 2025.
Prof. Warsi’s lecture, titled “Role of Linguistic and Literary Traditions in Sustaining Cohesion between Diverse Cultural Landscapes of India”, explored how linguistic and literary exchanges promotes empathy, nurture unity, and help in shaping a shared national vision.
“Language is the foundation of mutual understanding among diverse communities. Through translation, education, and intercultural dialogue, linguistic exchange builds bridges between regions, enabling people to appreciate one another’s heritage,” remarked Prof. Warsi.
He further emphasised that every Indian language embodies centuries of literature, philosophy, folklore, and oral traditions. Languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Telugu, Marathi, Punjabi, and hundreds of tribal tongues preserve India’s cultural wealth, connecting present generations with ancestral wisdom.
In his concluding address, Prof. Warsi emphasised that strengthening national unity through linguistic and literary exchange requires progressive policies, including the use of digital tools like the Bhashini Project, expansion of cultural initiatives such as Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, promotion of multilingual education, and primary instruction in mother tongues as envisioned by the NEP 2020.
