Noted persons on Friday viewed here that Odia language can be massively used and overall development of Odia clan can be possible only when an Odia mentality is created in the State.
Speaking on the occasion of the ongoing 3rd National language Conference held at the OUAT on behalf of the Institute of Odia Studies and Research and the Utkal University, the speakers lamented that the glorious past of the country in general and Odisha in particular vis-à-vis language richness and tradition has been decayed with the massive use of foreign languages.
“Bharat was once accepted worldwide as the ‘jnanaguru’ for its richness in Pali and Sanskrit languages. People, irrespective of nation, religion, caste and age, had been coming to the country to garner knowledge. It was because many precious epics were being written in Pali and Sanskrit. But 200 years of foreign language rule decayed the glorious tradition and education systems of the country,” they pointed out.
Terming Odia as a scientific language, they said attempts for creating awareness on the language after classical status are a good indication.
Inaugurating the conference, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said Odia people, residing in cutoff border areas, have been forced to lose their identity and it is now time for intellectuals to think over how they would get back their Odia identity.
Culture and Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda stated that the State Government has, for the first time, allocated Rs 10 crore for promotion of Odia language. “Overall development of Odias can be possible if we will be able to Odia mentality for Odisha,” viewed Panda.
Noted linguist Debiprasanna Patnaik presided over the programme while programme secretary Sankarshan Parida delivered welcome address.
Among others, former BPUT Vice-Chancellor Omkarnath Mohanty, Jatiya Bhasha Sammilani secretary Dr Subrat Kumar Prusthi spoke on the occasion.
The four-day conference, which is aimed at creating awareness about massive use of Odia languge, would conclude on March 28.
On this occasion, three sessions were conducted under guidance of Utkal University Anthropology Department’s Prof Kishore Basa. Dr Nivedita Mohanty, Prof Amiya Patnaik and Prof Sarachhandra Nayar presided over the sessions, respectively. A total of 18 thesis were presented on the occasion.