Plea to preserve language

Enthusiasts want shopkeepers to use State's official language in signboards

VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada regional chapter of Telugu Bhasha Chaitanya Samiti ( తెలుగు భాషా చైతన్య సమితి )has complained to the assistant labour commissioner against 50 shopkeepers for not using Telugu nameplates and display boards at the busy Besant Road in the city.

The samiti members, along with students of the Democratic Students Organisation (DSO), took out a rally demanding that Telugu signboards be used at all the shops and establishments on Tuesday. They found that 50 shopkeepers at Besant Road used only English boards in violation of the Government's orders for using the State official language.

The samiti's regional chapter president Malineni Narayana Prasad said that the assistant labour commissioner promised to look into their memorandum and take action against the erring shopkeepers. Mr. Prasad pointed out that language violations at the city's landmark location reflected the gravity of the situation. As per the Government's orders, one should use Telugu boards compulsorily. But nowadays the shopkeepers developed a fascination for English, neglecting the official language of the State.

Awareness needed

Mr. Prasad said that many Telugu households needed awareness on promotion and preservation of their language. Telugus constituted one of the largest communities in the world and their number came to around 15 crores (7.5 crores in Andhra Pradesh and 7.5 crores in other parts of the world). Unless their awareness was enhanced, their language would lose its originality and essence.

The language enthusiasts began the rally at the Sub-Collector's Office and concluded it at the assistant labour commissioner's office at Satyanarayanapuram, after passing through Raghavaiah Park, Besant Road and Gandhinagar.

Courtesy: The Hindu