In this week's New Yorker: My profile of Ganesh Devy, who assembled the first Indian survey of languages in a century, and who now lives in Dharwad as a protest against forces who will kill writers and impose religions and languages [1] www.newyorker.com/magazine/202... - ThreadSky

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samanthsubramanian.bsky.social • 100 days ago

In this week's New Yorker: My profile of Ganesh Devy, who assembled the first Indian survey of languages in a century, and who now lives in Dharwad as a protest against forces who will kill writers and impose religions and languages [1]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/25/should-a-country-speak-a-single-language

Comments

samirashackle.bsky.social•100 days ago

This sounds amazing! Looking forward to reading it (and will also send it to my dad, a retired professor of South Asian languages).

samanthsubramanian.bsky.social•100 days ago

Oh how cool! I hope he enjoys it. And you too! ❤️

samanthsubramanian.bsky.social•100 days ago

In the world's most populous country, no one knows how many languages are living, and how many have died. This has preoccupied Devy for 40 years -- as has the politics of language [2]

samanthsubramanian.bsky.social•100 days ago

In my reporting, I learned about the original Linguistic Survey of India, conducted by an opium agent in the British Raj. I talked to speakers of Rathwi and Chandgadhi. I found out about Majhi and Bhujel, one language dead and the other revived [3]

samanthsubramanian.bsky.social•100 days ago

And it was SUCH a pleasure to spend time with Devy—a wry and learned man, a man who worked in a bauxite mine as a teenager to make ends meet, and who grew up firmly believing that the essence of India is its polyglot nature [4]

samanthsubramanian.bsky.social•100 days ago

The full piece is here.

(I'm often asked why Indian journalists don't write "feel-good" stories. This is one such: a man in love with his country and with learning, and who has exerted himself to preserve both.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/11/25/should-a-country-speak-a-single-language

zigzackly.bsky.social•100 days ago

He’s such a cool guy. Have had several long chats with him, one for an interview.

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