Indian language literature should be promoted: Tavleen Singh

“Hindutva includes the spirit of both Kalidas and Ghalib,” said political reporter and columnist Tavleen Singh at the second Delhi edition of the Times Literature Festival.
Emphasising the importance of the Indian culture of inclusion, Singh lamented the lack of quality education, which ultimately led to the loss of regional languages. “Our children study foreign authors and poets and remain ignorant of their own literature… Some have to go to foreign universities to study Sanskrit.It is sad that we have ignored our own language and heritage for so long,” she told moderator Coomi Kapoor.
Singh, the author of four books, talked about the collapse of education system across the nation. “India is the only country in the world that tests three-year-old children to judge if they qualify for schools,” she said, adding that Nehru made crucial mistakes by investing in IITs without developing primary education.
“Our public schools are in shambles. Let children of political leaders attend these government schools; the quality of education will improve then,” Singh said. She added that India also needs to develop its healthcare network to promote better standards of living.
Talking about her most-recent book, India’s Broken Tryst, Singh said that India’s political class still believes in ruling citizens in a colonial manner. “Our leaders do not govern us, they rule us like we are their subjects,” she said.
Singh, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the Nehru-Gandhi legacy, said that dynastic politics has been the reason behind widespread discontent across the masses. “Out of the 70 years of independence, Congress ruled India for 53 years. This led to unrestrained statism,” Singh said.
“An average Indian has to pull strings for something as simple as registering a police complaint,” Singh said, adding that bureaucracy has promoted “civil privileges and not civil right.”
“NITI Ayog member Bibek Debroy’s report stated that out of the 50 government ministries, 30 are inept. We need to scrap some of them to hasten the development agenda,” she said, adding that she supported Modi as a prime minister because he had promised administrative reforms.