State minister for Marathi language as well as school education talks lingo and learning at trailer launch of children’s film
Minister Deepak Kesarkar (centre) with kids and crew and cast of the movie Baalbhaarti. Pic/Shadab Khan
Marathi, movie, Mahalaxmi, minister and mirth came together at the launch of the trailer of Marathi film Baalbhaarti on Monday, Children’s Day, at Famous Studios in Mahalaxmi. The movie will release on December 2. Baalbhaarti is a film about a Maharashtrian family especially concerned about their child’s education. Worried that he may be “left behind” in today’s times, they pluck him out of a Marathi school and enrol him in an English school. This is a story about childhood joys and trauma, emotional see-saws and pressures, and it is as much for adults as it is for children.
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Robust system
Deepak Kesarkar, state school education and Marathi language minister, said with a laugh as he arrived at Famous Studios, “Do not make the children get up from their seats. Today is Children’s Day, their day.” The minister was pointing to a group of schoolchildren who were present for the event and occupying the front seats. For the minister it was lingo bingo, as he began, “Children must know their mother tongue. We Indians were way ahead of England, when they started schools there. We already had a Gurukul system here. The British abolished the system in order to rule us. Artificial intelligence, robotics and computer science is the future. We must have a robust education system.”
Also read: Maharashtra govt orders change in writing style of two Marathi letters
Other nations
The minister referenced the film stating, “English is not everything or numero uno. We see countries like Russia, Japan where their native tongue is primarily used. Even the Chinese do not use English as much. All these nations are advanced.” The audience laughed as Kesarkar recalled, “I remember I was in Paris some time ago and I lost my way back to where I was staying. Not one person I asked understood English or could help me with directions. I was wondering how on earth I was going to get back to where I lived. I do not know if they did not know English or did not want to speak it! I spoke about this to tell you that English is not the only language.” Kesarkar, though, stated that one should learn English to communicate but learn one’s native language too.
Mental health
He also stressed on the mental health of young students, saying there must be attention to that aspect. He highlighted that children as young as four years are taking tuitions these days. “We also see youngsters spending time on their devices. Ask them something and they will start looking at YouTube. If you think their IQ is increasing, think also that the power of their spectacles (myopia) may increase too with this constant looking at the device.”
In the end, Kesarkar stated that movies were an effective medium to send a message, captivating people more than preachy speeches do. “Today, on Children’s Day, we commemorate Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary. He loved children. His driver used to say that being his driver was a tough job, because whenever Nehru saw children, he wanted the car to stop, no matter the traffic snarl it may create, and talk to the kids. Such was his love for them. I pay my respects to him,” ended Kesarkar, adding as a postscript that all of us have a responsibility or duty to make children happy and put smiles on their faces, leaving a better world for them.
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