London, 4th March 2025 – The House of Lords was transformed into a vibrant celebration of linguistic and cultural diversity as the 25th International Mother Language Day was marked with grandeur in Committee Room 4. Hosted by The Rt. Hon. Baroness Garden of Frognal in partnership with the Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence, the event showcased a rich blend of languages and traditions from across South Asia.
Beginning at 6:30 PM, with delegates entering through the Cromwell Green entrance, the event spotlighted 25 languages from South and Southeast Asia, including Assamese, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, Marathi, Sindhi, Bhojpuri, Dogri, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Maithili, and Sanskrit. Representatives from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives enriched the program by sharing their nations’ literary and cultural legacies.
A key highlight of the evening was a multilingual poetry recital featuring poets from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Their works were compiled in a special commemorative magazine, Rhyme and Resonance (Kaavya Naadam), officially launched by Baroness Garden of Frognal alongside Professor Peter Austin, Emeritus Professor in Field Linguistics at SOAS, University of London.
The event also featured compelling speeches by Andrew Sutton, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and Professor Peter Austin. Renowned Hindi writer Tejendra Sharma MBE presented his Hindi poem, while young artists mesmerized the audience with classical dance performances set to a Sanskrit composition by King Shahji of the Tanjavur Kingdom. The evening was further enriched by folk performances, including a dance interpretation of a poem by the distinguished Padma Bhushan poet Maithili Sharan Gupt.
Among the remarkable contributions was the Odia poem Janani Mon, Janma Bhumi Odisha by Dr. Bibhuti Bhusan Pattnayak FRSA, Director of the Odisha Society of the United Kingdom (OSUK), which was shortlisted for publication in the magazine. Advocating for the preservation of the Odia language and cultural heritage, esteemed figures including Mr. Partha Sarathi Panda, Director of OSUK, UN Women UK Member Swagatika Tripathy, and Kalinga Vessels founder Commander Biswajit Nayak engaged in meaningful discussions on language conservation.
With UNESCO raising concerns about the endangerment of nearly 200 languages in India, the Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence continues its dedicated efforts to promote linguistic preservation. Through poetry recitations, essay competitions, and cultural performances, the organization fosters greater appreciation for endangered scripts such as Takri, Khudabadi (Sindhi), and Mithilakshar (Maithili).
The event concluded with a heartfelt Vote of Thanks delivered by Ragasudha Vinjamuri, Founder of the Sanskruti Centre, marking a significant step forward in the mission to safeguard linguistic heritage and celebrate the richness of cultural diversity.
