The first World Odia Language Conference has not come a moment too soon. Odisha, which was declared a province on linguistic basis in 1936, will turn 100 in another 12 years. There was a general sentiment that the generational connect with the Odia language needed to be refreshed for continued proliferation and development.
That is why the recent three-day language conference organised by the Naveen Patnaik government was relevant. It did not just celebrate the antiquity and evolution of Odia, it also pushed the button for the future. Over 16 sessions, it brought together 100 scholars of the language from India and abroad. More importantly, it exposed school and college students to an assemblage of writers, providing them with the all-important self-confidence that is critical for a language to sustain and evolve.
Patnaik declared his government would soon chalk out a special language policy. The government has inked a pact with Jawaharlal Nehru University to establish of a centre to offer post-graduate programmmes in Odia studies, besides promoting research.
The timing of the conference was unmissable. Held just ahead of the national elections, it was viewed as a clever move by the Biju Janata Dal government to harness Odia identity and pride, which prompted the opposition to latch onto some avoidable faux pas. The conference, which drew parallels with the World Classical Tamil Conference organised by the DMK government in 2010, ticked the right boxes.
However, some areas deserve closer attention. While the new Odia University, whose sprawling campus was unveiled recently, is a move in the right direction, the state government would do well to put greater focus on Odia education in schools as well as in higher educational institutions. Most Odia departments in state universities are plagued by teacher vacancies; research must be vigorously pushed too.
Promoting publishing houses, encouraging Odia magazines across districts, expanding reading habits through dedicated libraries, and reviving iconic Odia institutions that played a key role in the language movement will go a long way in affirming the government’s commitment. It is easy to dismiss the conference as a political move, but there is wisdom in being optimistic. The conference should be sustained—the government must set itself a goal for 2036 and work towards it.