How important is MOTHER TONGUE

[podalangai]

If language is just for communication, why then do we have poetry and literature. If Homer, Shakespeare and Kamban wanted to just say their stories, why not write them in simple language that lay people would understand. Why then complicate it by writing in a style that only some can enjoy.
Its said that when Alexandria was burning, all Cleopatra worried about was saving the library.
Language is just not that, it embeds a whole lot of other things. It’s a parameter to measure a society - It’s past and present. The richness of a culture (not material richness) is directly proportional to its language. In other words language is the essence of a culture. That is not to say that other factors do not contribute to a culture’s or society’s growth. There are other factors, but language is an important one.
So it is natural that we associate our identity (including our culture) to our language. Take out a language, the culture will surely die. So when we are trying to protect our language, we are actually trying to protect our identity and culture and little wonder why one should be proud of it.

Very well said. I agree with every word, and couldn't have put it better myself.