Language used to create divide; now use it to unite: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday pitched for using language as a tool to unite India, lamenting that it has often been exploited by "selfish interests" to create a divide in the country. He also asked the media to play the role of a bridge to bring people speaking different languages closer.

Addressing the Malayala Manorama News Conclave in Kochi via a video link from here, he said for ages, language has been a very powerful vehicle for the most popular ideas travelling across time and distance. "India is perhaps the only country in the world with so many languages. In a way it is a force multiplier. But language also been exploited by selfish interests to create artificial walls in the country to divide," he said.

He wondered whether the power of language can be used to unite India. He suggested that the media can play the role of a bridge and bring people speaking different languages closer.

"This is not as difficult as it seems. We can simply start with publishing one word in 10-12 different languages spoken across the country. In a year, a person can learn over 300 new words in different languages. Once a person learns another Indian language, he will come to know the common threads and truly appreciate the oneness in Indian culture," he told the gathering. He said this way people in Haryana can learn Malayalam and those in Karnataka can learn Bangla.