Rajamahendravaram: Excessive use of foreign words and the lack of new word formation are causing stagnation in the Telugu language, opined District Fire Officer Srinivasa Rao.

He was speaking at the grand silver jubilee celebrations of International Mother Language Day, organised by the Telugu Department of SKVT Government Degree College in collaboration with Kala Gowthami Cultural Organisation.

Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, Srinivasa Rao stressed the importance of creating new Telugu equivalents for commonly used English words such as “cell phone,” “keyboard,” “battery,” and “mobile games” to ensure that pure Telugu words remain accessible to future generations.

Presiding over the event, Dr PVB Sanjeeva Rao, Head of the Telugu Department, highlighted the need to preserve the beauty of the Telugu language through speech, songs and media. Dr Tarapatla Satyanarayana, a professor from Adikavi Nannaya University, expressed concern over the declining affinity for one’s mother tongue among the general public. He urged Telugu speakers to abandon the habit of conversing in English when speaking with fellow Telugu people.

He also encouraged extensive use of Telugu online, stating that the more it is used, the better the results will be. Fire officer M Srihari Jagannath, another keynote speaker, emphasised that creativity in language development would attract future generations to Telugu.

Dr BHV Ramadevi, Head of the Telugu Department at Aditya College, remarked that the use of the mother tongue reflects a democratic society. The event was inaugurated by the Sanskrit Department Head AVND Srinivas. He stressed the need to preserve linguistic heritage to contribute to educational progress.

Telugu professors PP Sudha, S Raj Kumar, J Suguna,and A Sarala participated in the event, which was supervised by Ch Sitarama Naidu. As part of the celebrations, students who

demonstrated excellence in Telugu language competitions were honoured with awards.