2015

Bangalore Literature Festival in association with NFDC presents

Award winning films from around the country in little known languages

“We do need these little languages to remain anchored to a rich tradition of oral literature and culture, and to avoid being homogenized into a flat mediocrity.”

“Once every few months a language is going extinct, linguists tell us.
Languages have always gone extinct throughout human history. But currently they are disappearing at an accelerated rate due to globalisation – some would say neo-colonialism – as economically powerful languages dominate little languages. Already, between languages that are ‘safe’ because they are spoken by generations inside and outside their homes, and those that are ‘extinct’ because all the native speakers are dead, a UN study finds four divisions of languages in India – Vulnerable, Definitely Endangered, Severely Endangered and Critically Endangered. And consensus amongst linguists is that, if there are 6000 languages spoken today, by the year 2100 at least 50 percent would be gone. On their list, Rabha from Karbi Anglong, Sherdukpen from Arunachal, Kokborok from Tripura are vulnerable while Mising is definitely endangered. And once we lose these languages, gone would be their songs, myths, proverbs and poetry as these are not easily transferred”
Ratnottama Sengupta – Curator, Little Language Festival

Facilitated by Jenny Pinto

Schedule

The films will be screened in the Autumn Hall on the first floor. Please be in your seats in time.