We’re not going into the elitism involved with English vs other languages phenomenon that’s become a standard. English is the formal language of work, education, conferences (like WordCamps), etc. Hindi/Marathi are casual languages used for entertainment, conversation, banter and “ordinary” activities.
We wish to try and change that.
“Which Indian language will grow the most?”
– Jimmy Wales, co-founder, WikiPedia
- We’re making WordCamp Pune more fun and interactive so that all of us can use Hindi/Marathi more comfortably in a more informal setting.
- In the opposite direction, we’re introducing Marathi and Hindi into the “formal” activities like learning about WordPress.
- While doing that we don’t want to indulge the Hindi/Marathi shared elitism of using shuddha(pure) Sanskritised words for everything. Hinglish, Marathi Hinglish are very practical and useful concoctions. Let’s use them instead.
Even though more people speak Hindi and/or Marathi comfortably than those who speak English, we aren’t blind jingoists. English remains the default and dominant language of WordCamp Pune 2015. We say “more” Hindi/Marathi not “all”. We are also part of an awesome international community and English is our best friend there! 🙂
Now, if you know a couple of friends (as I do) who have great knowledge and skill but shy away from English and a large crowd, ask them to apply. They can speak in Hindi/Marathi to a more intimate audience and take some community love and good karma home!