“Tame Amdavad ma cho, tame Haso (Smile, you are in Amdavad).” The Gujarati tagline, to welcome people to Ahmedabad, will soon be seen all over the city to promote Gujarati language.
The Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities department has made it mandatory to use Gujarati alongside Hindi and English on display boards ,whether plaques, instructions, or information, in order to promote the use of Gujarati, particularly among young people. The rule will apply to all public, private, and government entities.
The department announced the measure’s implementation in eight municipal corporations, including Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, and Gandhinagar, in a circular issued on Friday.
Municipal corporations will be responsible for using Gujarati in written communication in state government offices and facilities. It will also include public venues such as cinemas, theatres, banquet halls, schools, colleges, supermarkets, shopping malls, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, cafés, banks, libraries, and gardens.
Gujarati and Hindi are official languages of Gujarat since its formation, as stated in the department’s GR.
Rajendra Patel, trustee of Matrubhasha Abhiyan, a campaign to popularise Gujarati among youngsters, said it’s better late than never. “English and Hindi have become household languages in Gujarat. It is a good time to promote the mother tongue of the state in the public domain. Making it visible publicly will bring people closer to the language.”
Tushar Shukla, a known Gujarati poet, said it’s the right decision at the right time. “Bringing Gujarati in public view is the best way to celebrate the language. When the government accepts and implements it, people are bound to follow. It shouldn’t be just for the sake of doing it. We are close to celebrating Vishwa Matrubhasha Divas on February 21 and there cannot be better news than this,” he said.
He added, “It is necessary to rope in proof-readers, buy a good dictionary and check the right spelling of Gujarati words and sentence formation. Otherwise, it will end up distorting the language,” he added.