New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) Language is a medium to connect and, therefore, it cannot isolate people, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Saturday.

“Language is a part of our cultural heritage and every language affects us qualitatively,” he said.

“Go to the south, go to the north, go to the east, go to the west and this thinking connects us. The thing that is meant to connect cannot isolate us,” the vice-president said.

There is a need to contemplate on the issue and a lot of churning is required, he added.

Dhankhar was addressing an event where a theatrical performance on emperor Vikramaditya was shown.

He said when he was a child, English was a “ranking subject”.

A “big change” took place after the Emergency when the then government decided not to keep English as a ranking subject.

“I don’t know what the reasons were in 2009, they changed their minds and made English a ranking subject instead of a qualifying subject,” he recalled.

He indicated that the move was challenged in the court and the petitioners won the case. PTI NAB NAB SZM SZM