A State-level seminar on “Role of media in promoting Odia language” was held here on Sunday. Noted linguist Prof Debi Prasanna Pattnaik presided over the seminar.
Pioneer of the Bhasa Surakshya Andolan and Rajya Sabha member Baisnab Charan Parida set the tone of the discussion, saying that ever since 60 years after the language Act was enacted in 1954, Odia has not occupied its pride of place in the administration, education and, of late, in the realms of mass communication both print and electronic sectors.
Parida cautioned that if adequate measures and awakening are not made Odias would remain bootlickers of a foreign language as a colonial hangover of the past.
Prof Nityananda Satpathy said Odia is occupying a third place as a language in all English medium schools and the future of Odia language is being pushed into oblivion day by day. Prof Natabar Satpathy lamented that the Odia language, literature and culture have not achieved that height which it should have as a love of mother language spirit is not inculcated in the higher echelons of the Odia society.
Former OERC Chairman Dhirendra Kumar Ray also spoke in the same vein. Prof Basanta Kumar Panda of NCERT said mass media should play a constructive role in promoting the Odia language and culture because of its direct rapport with all sections of people starting from a labourer to a professor, all being influenced by the impact of the media.
Prasanna Kumar Mohanty from the media side corroborated the view and agreed that television and print media shoulder this responsibility without being swayed by alien influences so as to maintain the characteristics of the Odia language. Manoranjan Mishra from electronic media opined that the electronic media is bound to adopt English coinages like ‘Political Circus’, ‘Breaking News’ and ‘Exclusive Stories’ since it is easily understood by the masses. The electronic media is bound to follow its own grammar for appeasing the masses and for selecting a language as is used by people speaking to people in their daily life.
Senior scribe Baishnab Charan Jena appealed to all mass media personnel to protect, preserve and defend the distinctive characteristics of the Odia language and lamented that the future generations of Odias are gradually being insulated from the Odia curriculum and vernaculars in English medium schools.
Finally, it was resolved that from April 1, 2014, the Utkal Divas, a special drive would be undertaken by self-conscious Odias to change the signboards from English to Odia.