Nurture Linguistic Diversity and Cultural Traditions
--Viren J. Shah, Governor of West Bengal

                hile       inaugurating   the
                UGC-              National
               Conference   on     "New
Directions of Language and Literature Studies" conducted by the UGC Eastern Regional Office and Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, Shri Viren J. Shah, Governor of West Bengal, expressed his concern over UNESCO estimate that about half of the 6000 or so languages spoken in the world are under serious threat and many of them are on the verge

of extinction. He         said         that disappearance of any language is irreparable loss for the heritage and culture of the humanity and every effort should be made to preserve, nurture and develop them. He stated, "Development of language is development of culture. It is a set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a particular society or a social group. It encompasses art, literature, language, its dialects, lifestyles, value systems, traditions, beliefs and ways of living together in harmony and peace. Culture is the heart and soul of social cohesion and the development of a 

knowledge based society. It is the best guarantee of international peace and security in respect for the great cultural diversity of humankind. Culture and language take diverse forms across time and space. This diversity, embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies, is the strong foundation of human civilization and heritage. Cultural and linguistic diversities are as necessary for human kind as bio-diversity      is      for           nature."

He quoted the Rig Veda while emphasizing the necessity for humankind to imbibe cultural and linguistic diversity, "Aano bhadra kritvo yantu viswatah" (Let noble thoughts come to us from all over the world). Elaborating, Shri Shah said, “Freedom of expression, multilingualism, media pluralism, equal access to art and to scientific and technological knowledge and the possibility for all cultures to have access to the means of expression and dissemination are the quintessence of cultural diversity."

Prof. Satyasadhan Chakraborty, Minister in-charge of Higher 

Education, while referring to the Bengal Renaissance, mentioned that Tagore (House) gave birth to intellectual giants who broke the shackles of hindering processes and were instrumental in giving new directions towards the development of arts, language and culture. He said that Rabindra Bharati University is the ideal venue for conference on such a theme. He pointed out that during the time of changing economic scenario across the globe, less developed countries have a greater challenges to face. As far as higher education is concerned we have to raise and maintain our quality. More funds are needed for this purpose. He requested that Central Government and UGC should allocate more funds to their state under its various programmes for education.
Porf. Bharati Mukherjee, Vice Chancellor, Rabindra Bharati University appreciated the University Grants Commission for conducting this National Conference at Rabindra Bharati University which is based on Tagore’s Philosophy. She said that Tagore House was the home for cultural revolution in West Bengal during 15-19 Century known as Bengal Renaissance.
Prof. V.N.Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chairman, University Grants Commission welcomed the guests and delegates, and apprised them of the UGC's initiatives in revamping and strengthening of Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. He also mentioned about the recent initiatives the UGC is undertaking to strengthen the conventional system of undergraduate education in colleges and universities.