Well, if you look at it that way!

I am a convent school product. In India and especially in my age this mostly meant you were instructed and were expected to command over "Queen's" english; UK english if you will. There was no cable and not much infusion of north american television or movies in our lives to know untill quite late that the world knew another way of using english as a language. That there was a websters to the wren & martin. All these years later I still have a problem with swallowing non-UK grammer and spellings. The s-to-z conversions still jar me!

 I have had in fact a lot of problems with the sounds that grate my sense of what correct grammer should be. It took me a while to get comfortable with texting what with all the abbrs and intializn. I am aware that how much ever I think I've gotten 'footloose' Iam still medival in that sphere!
I have a thing against rap and hip hop too. I dont understand it most times and even if I do, I dont always appreciate it [leave aside eminem for now]. My thoughts are immediately drawn towards 'kids listen to this kind of stuff; the music has influence and on kids at a very impressionable age; among other things it promotes, this is awful language!' And then when I hear things like "whys you gatta sit here?" to my request to a young one to take her feet off from top of my seat, I feel somwhat vindicated. Justification for my sense of pall for where is the language going also comes to me in bits and pieces when I overhear conversations in everyday life on the train, in the coffee shop, bus stand, etc

 Of course this could be just an "A-G-E" thing. But humour me, I am goin somewhere else with this. 

 I've always been fascinated with Shakespeare. Never really had a chance to study literature although I would have loved to. The DIY method of studying isnt as easy as it may seem. The language to put it mildly, needs efforts to understand. Its not an easy read.
My fondness for literature not being restricted to the english language, I am also an eager learner for Indian literature. The classic texts like the Geeta, Gyaneshwari being part of this personal quest as much as the yearning to know the substance of the vedas. Again, none of these ['ask aaenyyybody!'] are easy reading for a DIY project.
Another patch of passion: movies. I love movies and esp old movies the black and white kind. All and any language - providing there are subtitles! But the ones I can uderstand on my own without help are also not as lucid because the language isnt what is spoken today.

 Easy to decipher then that language evolves?  Is in constant process of evolution? Fair also to assume that literature and entertainment are important contributors to this process?
Can I then conclude that what I hear in the songs today and on the streets and in movies will influence the development of what will come tommorow? That for example shoulda, woulda, coulda will be proper words of choice? That if you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it would be obvious? 

 More importantly - if I find yesterdays' difficult to understand and tommorow's uncomfortable to be with, then am "I" the lost one? 

Its a worry

I have recently discovered the hidden [from me] world of internet cinema. And as a result have been delighfully hooked on new marathi movies. Delighted not so much that I can watch movies now and keep up with new releases but more excited about the kind of movies I am able to watch.
I belong to the generation that actually looked forward to watching the saturday night marathi and sunday, hindi movies on Doordarshan. The marathi movies then were of substance in the sense that there was a storyline, credible acting and believeable and 'can realte to' kind of portrayals. As we grew up and the weekend offering dried up, so also the interest in watching these movies. The disinterest is attributable to a lot of factors including a fair amount of ' vernacular snub' developed in school but on reflection the movies got ridiculous as well. Slapstick and loud just wasnt attractive enough when the likes of  Stallone and Jackie Chang were available on VCR rentals!
Now I find myself falling in love all over again with marathi cinema. Its a great feeling! Of course nostalgia is always an ingredient when "again" is involved. And it makes me so happy to see the content of movies, the attempts at storytelling and the efforts of actors out to connect with audiences with credible talking points. In the past year I have seen movies address/recognize/highlight various issues for example, public attitudes towards health disorders like leucoderma, downs syndrome, schizophrenia; social issues like farmer suicides, sarva shiksha abhiyan [education for all campaign], abandoned-for-a-younger-woman, children of divorced parents, social image of a teacher-student realtionships etc
The attempts to present these issues are visibly sincere. Whats more the movies although not exactly rolling in hype and publicity enlist almost entirely an A-list star cast. And in many instances have these top artists in the marathi industry also contribute in pre and/or post production like script, story, songs/poetry, production, direction and such.

Now while I am getting all warm and fuzzy about this there comes creeping in my mind a worry. Will our generation be the last taking such pride? What I mean by our generation is the ones who left home for lives abroad and may go back but certainly will not see our kids brought up the way we were. Installing any feelings let alone love or even attachment for the mother tongue in our kids is a topic of  never ending discussion in the expatriate populations, has been for generations I am sure. But I am concerned about mine and thereby the first generation foreign born. While on one hand I concede to the 'this isnt my first language and I dont want to make efforts to know' argument of the born-outside-generation on the other hand [try and keep the economist from popping up!] I now really share the pangs of anxiety and in some part the agony of realising that everything we hold dear about this complex emotion may be lost!
Ours is then effectivly the last generation to appreciate and be thrilled by the joy of such things as even a rejuvenated regional cinema!!