Mother Tongue Padma Sachdev | Class 11 English Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read
Mother Tongue Padma Sachdev – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Mother Tongue Padma Sachdev from Class 11 English, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
About the Poet
Padma Sachdev, born in 1940, is a distinguished poet who writes primarily in Dogri, her mother tongue, as well as in Hindi. She is recognized for her contribution to regional literature and has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award at the young age of thirty for her first collection of Dogri poems. This award is a significant recognition in Indian literature, highlighting her role in bringing Dogri poetry to national attention.
Padma Sachdev's work is notable for its deep emotional engagement with her language and culture. Writing in Dogri, a language spoken mainly in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab, she has helped preserve and promote this regional language through her poetry. Dogri is listed in Schedule VIII of the Indian Constitution, which recognizes it as one of the official languages of India.
The poem 'Mother Tongue' is a translation from the original Dogri, reflecting the poet's concern about the loss of the native script Sharade. Sharade script evolved from the ancient Brahmi script and was once widely used by people of all religions in the Dogri-speaking valley. Over time, due to historical and social changes, Sharade was replaced by the Persian script, and currently, Dogri is written in both Persian and Devanagari scripts. This shift has implications for the cultural identity and literary heritage of Dogri speakers.
Padma Sachdev's poetry thus serves as a cultural bridge, connecting the past traditions of Dogri with contemporary literary expression, and highlighting the importance of mother tongue in preserving cultural identity.
📊 Diagram: The section includes a photograph of Padma Sachdev, providing a visual connection to the poet.
🔗 Connection: This section provides cultural and historical context about the poet and the language, preparing readers to understand the poem's themes in the following section on poem analysis.
Frequently asked questions
1. The quill is the central element in the poem—what does it symbolise? 2. You notice a sense of urgency in the poet’s request—what is the reason for this? 3. How has the poet brought out her emotional attachment to her mother tongue? 4. Personification is a figure of speech that attributes human qualities to inanimate things and abstract ideas. How has it been used in this poem?
1. The quill in the poem symbolizes the poet's tool for expression and creativity, representing the power of language and writing. It also stands for the poet's connection to her mother tongue, Dogri, as the quill is requested from a stem (reed), symbolizing the natural source of language and writing.
2. The sense of urgency in the poet’s request for a quill arises because she feels an immediate need to express herself in her mother tongue. She says, "She must be looking for me," indicating tha
1. Talk to five people from different spheres of society around you and ask them the number of languages they know and use for various purposes. Try to gather information about their attitude to the different languages they know and use. 2. Dogri is a language spoken in parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. Its earliest mention is in Amir Khusro’s list of Indian languages. It does not have a script of its own. It is written in either the Devnagari or the Persian script. Find out about other Indian languages that are spoken but do not have a script of their own.
1. This is a field activity requiring interaction with people. The student should interview five individuals from different backgrounds (e.g., students, shopkeepers, teachers, etc.) and note the number of languages they know and use, such as mother tongue, regional languages, English, Hindi, etc. The student should also record their attitudes—whether they feel proud, indifferent, or reluctant about any language.
2. The student should research and list Indian languages that are primarily oral an
In the poem 'Mother Tongue' by Padma Sachdev, what does the quill symbolize?
A tool for writing and expression in the mother tongue
Why does the poet show urgency in requesting a new quill in the poem 'Mother Tongue'?
Because she wants to write quickly in her mother tongue
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