When we learn a new language, we enter a new world.. the sight, sound, taste, feel of things change.
I can speak Hindi, English, Gujarati and Sindhi. I think in English.
For example, take an onion. In Gujarati, it is called kanda... an image of a small onion oval in shape flashes in my mind.
In Sindhi, it is called bhasar... an image of a large, round onion flashes in my mind.
In Hindi, well, I cannot even remember what it is called in Hindi.
Out of the four languages, Sindhi is the only one I cannot read and write and I am ashamed of it 'coz it is my mother tongue. My granny tried to teach me when I was in school but it was too difficult and I gave up. Someday, I will learn it... I hope it wont be too late to enter another world then.
These days, Sindhi families living in the metros are switching to Hindi. They are trying to move away from the tag of being a "Sindhi". Very few Sindhi youngsters can understand or speak their mother tongue. They are ashamed of their culture. Even I dont know about the troubles my grandparents went through when they came to India during partition. Some people label me as "Pakistani" even though my grandparents shifted to India during partition and not later. It pricks, 'coz I am patriotic. I love my country and will never leave it.