How did Farsi become a common language in India?
Wherever the English went, they made the local people speak English and they wiped out rival languages wherever they identified them. In the Indian subcontinent, Farsi used to be the official language for several centuries: Farsi was the language of all correspondence among state organizations, the people, scholars, major schools and outstanding personalities. The English came and prohibited the use of Farsi and they promoted the English language in its place.
Today Farsi has been sidelined in the Indian subcontinent, which used to be one of the main Farsi-speaking centers. English is the official language in the Indian subcontinent. English is the language of official correspondence. The majority of outstanding Indian personalities speak English. They have to speak English: it has been imposed on them. This happened in all the countries where the English were present during the time of colonialism. They imposed English on their colonies. We did not impose Farsi on any country. Farsi used to be common in India and it was the Indians themselves who welcomed it. It was outstanding Indian personalities who composed poetry in Farsi. From the 7th and 8th century of the Islamic calendar to the recent times before the arrival of the English, there were many poets in India who used to compose poetry in Farsi, poets such as Amir Khosrow Dehlavi, Bidel Dehlavi and many other poets. Iqbal Lahori was from Lahore, but his Farsi poems are more famous than the poems he composed in other languages. Unlike the English who promoted English in India, we did not promote Farsi. Farsi became common in India in a natural way: because the Indians liked it, because Indian mystics, scholars and outstanding personalities spent time with Farsi-speakers. But the English came and forced the Indian people to abandon Farsi: they specified punitive measures for speaking and writing in Farsi. Oct 14, 2012
We should compel the world to learn Farsi language in order to access breakthroughs in science
The Iranian nation has the capacity to make so much progress that it becomes a role model in the world. Why would we question our capabilities? Why would we be pessimistic about ourselves, our nation and our future? The enemy wants to instill this lack of confidence into our nation and he has been trying to do so for many years. They had convinced us that westerners were pioneers and that we had to follow them. History shows that there was a day when the opposite was correct. We used to be pioneers in the world. We used to be pioneers in science. We used to be pioneers in industry. We used to be pioneers in civilization. We used to be pioneers in cultural areas. Others used to learn from us. Is there any reason why we cannot become pioneers again? The determination of our youth and their view of progress should be such that we can aim for that future. Oct 13, 2012
We should do something to make those who benefit from the scientific achievements of our country learn Farsi in the future. It is not an honor to say that the language of science in our country is such and such a foreign language. Even the most exact sciences can be expressed through Farsi. It has such capacities. We have a language which is full of capacities.
Even a number of European countries - such as France and Germany - did not let English become their language of science. These countries preserved their own language and used it as the language of science in their universities. The issue of language is a very important issue. It really requires your efforts. One of the efforts that wise and intelligent governments throughout the world make is that they lay great emphasis on extending the boundaries of their national language. Unfortunately, this has not been done because of the ignorance of many countries. Even native languages and the main languages of many nations have become completely obsolete or they have been overshadowed by other languages. Aug 6, 2013
The day will come when people around the world will feel the need to learn Persian
The future looks promising in all sectors, and I hope that such promising visions will be actualized in less than a generation. I hope our youth will see the day when the Islamic Republic reaches the position it deserves. I hope our youth will see the day when other nations, scientists, and scholars across the world feel that they depend on our country to take further steps in scientific areas. Such a prospect could be actualized in the foreseeable future. I hope that just as humans need to learn certain languages to acquire some of the skills they need, other nations will one day feel that they need to learn your language and know about your culture. That day will come, and such hopes could be actualized. Such a prospect is not far-fetched if we work hard and maintain the same amount of efforts, and motivation which is prevalent among our youth, intellectuals, and people. I hope these efforts will continue, and they definitely will. May 6, 2008
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