Mas tarde que nunca
Better late than never.
Being born and bought up in a diverse family, I was taught different languages. Learning a language is like crossing borders. It is to establish a profound connection with the place, culture and people.
I heard a lot of Konkani and Tulu ever since I was a child. Marathi and Konkani have a lot of similarities. Hindi is commonly spoken across the country whereas English is mandatory in most of the Indian schools, as it still lingered after the British rule. I consider it a privilege, to learn these languages from a young age.
I come from a family who are well versed with the knowledge of Mahabharata and Ramayana. My bedtime stories used to be chapters from these ancient philosophies. Each one of my family members had a different way of storytelling. This moulded me into a very visual person.
I learnt Sanskrit when I was in school. I was intrigued by the intricacies of this language, notably, it’s pronunciations and vibrations. The depth that this language has is ethereal. It is disheartening that this beautiful language has declined over the years. Below, is a prose that explains the witty storytelling of this language.
काकः कृष्णः पिकः कृष्णः को भेदः पिककाकयोः।
वसन्तकाले सम्प्राप्ते काकः काकः पिकः पिकः ।।
Differentiating a crow from cuckoo bird is difficult as are both are black. But with the onset of spring the difference unrolls by itself.
Both thoughts and emotions are same, it’s the way of expressing through words that’s unique.
High school, did not have Sanskrit, so I opted for French language. Since I started learning french a little later than my batchmates, it became difficult for me to keep up with them. Phonetically, French has no tonic accent as all the syllables have about the same stress. I couldn’t understand the monotonous pronunciation. I somehow managed to get a decent score. Yet, the feeling of incompletely learning French was etched in my mind.
Visuals and sounds are an important aspect of being a designer. For me, I visualise each language by its acoustic, written and tonal aspect. Each language has it’s own unique gestures corresponding to differences in pitch, loudness, and quality. We can think of the movements of our tongues and lips as gestures, much like the gestures we make with our hands.
In 2019, I finally decided to learn Spanish as a hobby alongside my design education. Better late than never! This time, before learning the language I tried to immerse myself in their culture, food, and music. Being a football fan, I started by watching interviews of Maradona, Xavi, Suarez and now, Alexia Putellas, María etc. Ah, to witness the revolution in women football! A sense of familiarity and excitement kicked in. The rich expressions, clear pronunciations as they spell each word made it easier to grasp. There were times when I couldn’t practise as much due to time constraints, job changes etc. But the drive to watch Spanish series, listen to songs kept me consistent. Y por supuesto, la comida española- Enchiladas, burritos, Gazpacho, Tortilla! Delicioso!
I believe Sanskrit has built the foundation for me to learn new languages fluently. It beautifully assigns sounds to each form. The repetitive chanting of a prayer, or decoding a metaphorical poem gives listener's an enhanced auditory experience.
French is a language of romance, Italians use gestures to communicate, Maori is a symbol of strength, Spanish has it’s own charm, Japanese is all about precision.
Mastering these nuances of Languages opens one’s horizons to a whole new world. Despite these linguistic detours, learning a new language is quite thrilling. Hence, it’s better late than never to learn something new! So go give it a try, if you fail try harder, or choose a different hobby.
