A Malayalam Voice

On Vijayadasami day, in Kerala, there is a custom known as vidyarambam. It is the only time, a Malayali try to write Malayalam alphabets. Writing all those 56 letters is a tough task if you are not familiar with the language. Keralites may not be aware of how tough is their language to speak.

I understood this fact when my Mumbaikar friend Meenakshi who approached me to learn Malayalam. I told her a simple thing, she can learn the language if she can pronounce ‘zha’ (ഴ ).

For last three years, she couldn’t make that sound. A Non-Malayali can spell it only either as ‘ssa’ or ‘la’. I should also admit that many Malayalees can’t say it properly. “I have got friends from several states. I have learned many languages from them. But my dear friend, Malayalam is the only one I failed to master”.

Her comment made me proud of my language Malayalam. Keralites have a belief that their language is inferior to other languages. And this idea makes them learn other languages and speak that instead of their mother tongue.

The truth is it is the flexibility in Malayalam that helps Malayali to learn any language around the globe. And to add more, it is the second toughest language after Chinese. Now you can surely boast about your mother tongue, instead of being shy and calling yourself a ‘Mallu’ instead of ‘Malayali’