International Mother Language Day, observed on February 21, celebrates linguistic diversity and the role of mother tongues in preserving culture, identity, and community.
For the Indian diaspora in the UK, languages like Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Malayalam are more than communication tools, they carry history, traditions, and values across generations, connecting children with their grandparents.
On Instagram, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai marked the day with a video in five languages, English, Pashto, Urdu, Swahili, and Arabic, highlighting the global fight for girls’ education. She spoke about the Taliban’s ban in Afghanistan, over 20 million out-of-school children in Pakistan, 3 million Tanzanian girls without access to school, and the hopes of children in Palestine and Syria.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Bharati Pankaj Vora said, “In our fast-paced journey toward progress, I worry we are drifting away from something deeply precious, our mother tongue, Gujarati. Losing it means losing a part of ourselves. Gujarati is more than a language; it is our identity, carrying the wisdom of our ancestors. When I read the poems of Narmad or the words of Umashankar Joshi, I feel immense pride in our rich culture.
“Yes, today’s world demands English and technology, you must learn them to succeed globally. But never forget your mother tongue. Speaking Gujarati does not make you less modern; it makes you rooted and confident. A tree grows tall only when its roots are strong, and Gujarati is our root. Stay connected to it, and you will never lose your identity, no matter how far you go. Achieve, explore, and succeed, but carry Gujarati in your heart,” she added.
Gujarati teacher Vijya Bhanderi stressed the importance of Gujarati in preserving cultural identity, saying, “Gujarati is not just a language; it is the root of our heritage, carrying the wisdom, literature, and values of our ancestors. Our songs, bhajans, folk tales, poems, and religious texts cannot be fully experienced through translations, they lose the depth, emotion, and aesthetic richness of the original words.
“Many young Gujaratis believe learning the language is unnecessary, citing school pressures, busy schedules, or the lack of financial value. But language is the anchor of identity. Through Gujarati, we retain our traditions, strengthen family bonds, and bridge generational divides. It keeps us connected to our culture and ensures that our heritage is not lost, even as we live and succeed in a globalised world. Learning and speaking Gujarati does not hinder modern progress; it makes us more rooted, confident, and proud of who we are. To preserve our identity, we must carry our mother tongue in our hearts, pass it to the next generation, and ensure it remains a living part of our lives,” she added.
The Bhavan’s Hindi teacher, Indu Bharot, said, “In the UK, Indian languages like Gujarati, Punjabi, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Urdu play a central role in shaping identity for the British-Indian diaspora. Beyond communication, they preserve cultural memory, family history, and emotional connections to ancestral homelands. At home, they sustain intergenerational bonds, with grandparents passing on stories, values, and traditions, allowing younger generations to balance British life with Indian heritage. This continuity lets British Indians embrace layered identities where being British and Indian coexist.”
She added, “Preserving these languages also fosters social cohesion. Temples, gurdwaras, mosques, community centres, and festivals use them to create inclusive spaces, supporting solidarity and mutual care. Indian mother tongues enrich multicultural Britain, showing that integration need not mean cultural loss. Multilingualism thus stands as a symbol of resilience, inclusion, and shared belonging.”
Founder of ‘Sur O Bani’, Dyuti Gupta said, “we see Bengali not simply as a language to be spoken, but as a living archive of memory, emotion and heritage. For many children growing up in Britain, their mother tongue is the bridge that connects them to grandparents, stories, songs, values and ways of seeing the world that cannot always be fully translated. At our school, where music and Bengali language are taught together, this connection becomes even more powerful: language carries meaning, and music carries feeling. Together, they nurture identity and belonging.”
“In the British-Indian diaspora, preserving mother languages such as Bengali is vital for intergenerational connection and social cohesion. It helps young people grow with confidence in who they are, while also enabling families to pass on culture with pride rather than loss. This does not stand apart from British identity; it enriches it. A multicultural Britain is strongest when communities can retain their linguistic roots while participating fully in shared civic life. Mother languages help shape modern Britain’s evolving narrative, one that is diverse, confident and deeply connected across generations,” she added.
