Dr G N Devy : The Languages We Live By (Part 1)

What does it mean to lose a language? And what do we lose with it? In the season premiere of Grassroots Nation, Dr GN Devy - a scholar, linguist, institution builder and one of India's foremost advocates for linguistic diversity joins Dr Madan Meena for a deeply personal conversation about language, identity and belonging. From his childhood in rural Maharashtra to a celebrated academic career, and from leaving the university classroom to working alongside Adivasi, Denotified and Nomadic communities, Dr Devy reflects on the experiences that shaped his life's work. He shares the stories behind the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, the Adivasi Academy and the People's Linguistic Survey of India, an unprecedented effort to document more than 700 living languages across the country. Speaking with his longtime collaborator Dr Madan Meena, the conversation goes beyond language as a subject of study to explore language as memory, culture, history and a way of seeing the world. Together, they discuss why preserving linguistic diversity is inseparable from preserving people, and what India's many voices can teach us about building a more inclusive future. This conversation was recorded in Delhi. Grassroots Nation is a podcast from Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. For more information go to www.rohininilekaniphilanthropies.org or join the conversation on social media @RNP_foundation.