என் அருமை தமிழே!

We have been living in the US since 1999. Until my first child, Abhinav was born in 2003, Dev and I used to talk in English between us. Dev is from Agra and when we got married in 1998 he did not have any Tamil.

The baby's arrival also brought with it some awakenings in my own mind. The instinct to be protective did not just extend to the baby, it also wanted to reach out and protect other things. Like mother tongues. So we made a decision and followed through with it: I talked to the baby exclusively in Tamil and Dev, in Hindi. We also started to speak to each other in our own languages and only used English if there was misunderstanding of some sort or an argument to be had!

As Abhi was growing up, my urge to preserve the traditions was growing too. I started paying close attention to the Tamil I was speaking to him. I caught myself using many English words in my Tamil sentences, for example, "time illa", "clean pannu", "wait pannu". I didn't like the sound of English and Tamil mixed up in my sentences. I made a conscious attempt to speak unadulterated Tamil as much as I could. So my sentences became: 

"நேரம் இல்ல", "சுத்தம் பண்ணு", "பொறுமையா இரு". 

It was gratifying to feel that I am doing my part to pass on the Tamil that was given to me. I derive immense pleasure when my kids say:

"இது ரொம்ப சுலபமா இருக்கு", "அம்மா, உதவி பண்றியா?", "மனசு ரொம்ப வருத்தமா இருக்கு".

- Hema