‘Some Bharatiyas don’t know our own Indian languages,’ says Mohan Bhagwat as he urges prioritising mother tongue

Mohan Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday voiced deep concern over the shrinking use of Indian languages and mother tongues, saying the situation has deteriorated to the point where “some Bharatiya people no longer understand their own languages.” He was speaking at the launch of the English version of ‘Shri Dnyaneshwari’ in Maharashtra’s Nagpur.

The original text was written in Marathi by Sant Dnyaneshwar, and Bhagwat used the occasion to urge society to reflect on the erosion of linguistic heritage.

“There was a time when entire communication, sharing and daily business was in Sanskrit. Now, some American professor teaches us Sanskrit, when we should have been teaching it to the world,” he said. He added that many children today do not know basic Indian words and speak at home in a mix of mother tongue and English.

“The situation has reached a point where some Bharatiya people do not know our own Indian languages,” the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief said.

Bhagwat clarified that the issue is not English-medium education, but the lack of effort to use Indian languages within families. “If we spoke our language properly at home, things would improve. But we do not do it,” he said.

Referring to Sant Dnyaneshwar’s decision to bring the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita into Marathi, Bhagwat said the saint ensured that profound ideas were accessible to everyone.

He also argued that English often falls short in capturing the depth of Indian concepts. “A single word used by Dnyaneshwar often requires multiple English words without fully conveying the intended meaning,” he said.

Citing the example of Kalpavruksha, the mythological wish-fulfilling tree, Bhagwat asked, “How will you translate Kalpavruksha in English?” He said such culturally rooted concepts highlight why Indian languages must be preserved and strengthened for future generations.