VIJAYAWADA: The three-day second world conference of Telugu writers began here on Saturday at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram with Eenadu chief editor Ch Ramoji Rao as the chief guest.Inaugurating the conference, veteran writer and Jnanpeeth Award winner C. Narayana Reddy called upon the Telugu writers to work towards preserving Telugu language and Telugu literary wealth.Expressing concern over increasing influence of English on Telugu, he feared that the future generation may not use the language any more. There were instances, he said, where many private English medium schools have been imposing harsh punishments on the children if they found speaking in Telugu on the school premises. All these private schools have been considering Telugu as second language and promoting English as first language in the schools, Narayana Reddy said.Though the government has set up an Adhikara Basha Sangham in the state, he said there were no serious efforts to promote the language.In the Secretariat only 5 per cent documents were written in Telugu whereas it was 15 per cent and 20 per cent at district and mandal levels respectively. This stands testimony to the government’s commitment in implementing Telugu as the official language, he said.He called upon the writer community to raise the issue of decreasing importance and usage of Telugu at all levels in the state and force the government to take some steps to preserve the language.Speaking on the occasion, noted writer Malathi Chandur said that Tamil Nadu government has been doing a great service to preserve Tamil language and they have been using many technical and scientific words in Tamil. Leaders like Annadurai and Karunanidhi have also made literary contributions which helped to promote Tamil language, she said. She opined that it needs a strong political will to promote a language, which is lacking in Andhra Pradesh.Recalling the days of former chief minister NTR Rama Rao, she said he had the concern for the language and culture of the land, which is not there in the present day politicians in the state.Malati Chandur said Telugu language is further being polluted with many English words used by TV channels.Another writer Kalipatnam Rama Rao also held TV channels responsible for increasing influence of English on Telugu language.Industrialist KE Varaprasda Reddy said with the mushrooming news channels, reading habit among the younger generation is on the decline. Andhra Joythi editor K Sriniavas said there is a need to prepare dictionary of new words.Other speakers also lamented the decline of Telugu and felt that there was a need to make Telugu as one of the mandatory subjects in all the schools in the state on the lines of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Former minister and honorary president of the association Mandali Buddhaprasad presided over the inaugural session.Sahitya Academy secretary Agraharam Krishna Murthy, noted Urdu writer Sheen Kaaf Nizam, Krishna District Writers Association president Guttikonda Subba Rao, general secretary GV Purnachand and many others attended.
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