My Mother Tongue is Marathi... But...!: Andhra Pradesh Minister Sathya Kumar

Andhra Pradesh Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Sathya Kumar, attended the World Telugu Writers Conference held in Vijayawada. During the event, he delivered an engaging speech, sharing intriguing insights about language and creativity.

Sathya Kumar explained that infants learn a language instinctively through imitation and observation of their surroundings. He emphasized that one’s mother tongue fosters creativity and sharpens intelligence, as it deeply connects individuals with their roots.

Explaining his personal experience, he said, “The reason I am sharing this is that my mother tongue is Marathi. Around 400 years ago, soldiers from the Sambhaji dynasty of Maharashtra migrated as part of territorial expansions, reaching as far as Tanjore. During that period, my family moved from Maharashtra and settled here. Though my mother tongue is Marathi, I learned Telugu from my mother, who spoke it at home.”

He added, “Despite my fluency in Marathi, Telugu is the language I have embraced. My thoughts are in Telugu. Although I can speak Kannada, Tamil, Hindi, and English as well, I think and express myself most naturally in Telugu. When I speak in other languages, I find myself putting in extra effort to convey my thoughts.”