Sindhi Language Book : English Medium (Part-1)

It is a well-known fact that many languages have been used in India for many centuries. The people living in the developed countries, find multi-lingual nature of Indian unchanged. In the advanced countries, people of various breeds come with their distinctive mode of living, literature, music, costumes, ornaments, food habits etc; but in a short time their own natural way of ' life merges in the main stream of the country, which is like melting pot. That is why the people of these countries find it amazing that so many languages being spoken, read and also blooming in India. This phenomenon is difficult to define. If we observe routine life of an Indian, we shall find that he is using different languages in various situations. For example, we shall not find it unnatural at all if some one speaking Bihari language with tea-garden labourers, Asamiya language with their manager, usin English for office work, watching movies and T.V. for entertainment in Hindi and speaking Bangala language with his family. In this situation not only person is multi-lingual, even the multi lingualism is intervowen. It is possible only when languages connect the nation and not break it. People forget that language is the only instrument which connects those who came here, born here and settled here in thousands of different parts in India.

Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) is dedicated to this linguistic union to encourage and improve it. The field of teaching and training in modern Indian languages is the most important field of this Institution. More than 550 books published by CIIL, includes more than half of the books in the field of language teaching.

People who are connected with study of and teaching of Indian languages know, that since its establishment in 1969, CIIL is promoting Indian languages and helping for preparing teaching material as per their needs. For this perpose, besides main Indian languages, many tribal languages have been included for the research and preparing teaching material in those languages.

To fulfill the aims of Three Language Formula CIIL has opened its centers at Mysore, Pune, Bhubuneshwar, Patiala, Solan, Lucknow and Gwahati, where under this scheme intensive training is provided for ten months to the teachers from various states in their chosen languages or the language of the concerned state. After training, these teachers teach the learned language in their state as per their syllabus or as an optional subject.

Besides many programmes, CIIL has started another scheme called ‘Bhartiya Bhasha Jyoti’. Under this scheme, material is got to be prepared in the regional languages on the principles of Distant Education and course is called ‘Correspondence Course’. Under this scheme, the teaching of Sindhi language has also been included.

At present Sindhi is in a very peculiar situation. Sindhis are scattered all over India and many of them have settled abroad. It is difficult or we can say, almost impossible to teach and learn Sindhi language in class- room situation; as it will not be possible to either get the sufficient number of students in various regions of south of India and also in the eastern region, leave aside the question of getting Sindhi learners in a group in various countries. Hence there is an urgent need to provide Sindhi teaching through Correspondence Course.

In relation to teaching of Sindhi, there is one more problem. Though a good number of Sindhis is settled in Hindi speaking belt or Hindi provinces adjacent to them, where they can learn Sindhi through Hindi medium; but there is still a good number of Sindhis in India and abroad, for whom English medium for learning Sindhi will be more comfortable. Due to this reason the teaching material for ‘Bharat Jyoti Bhasha Sindhi’ is produced in Hindi as well as in English medium.

The material prepared through Hindi medium has already been published in a book form and the material through English medium is before you.

I hope by this way Sindhi could be learned not only by Sindhis but also non-Sindhi, knowing English language.

I am thankful to the Indian Institute of Sindhology Adipur, and their dedicated workers who have put their sincere efforts to bring this material in time and are determined to conduct the courses for the propagation of Sindhi language which is an ancient and very rich language, and is one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of Indian constitution.