Kozhikode: Despite Malayalis venturing across continents and making their mark worldwide, Dr. Donald R. Davis Jr. from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas in the USA questions whether Malayali parents even communicate with their children in their mother tongue.

Davis, who learned the language and had visited Kerala in the past, strongly advises every parent to have conversations in their mother tongue, as it helps with improved reasoning and better expression of ideas.

It was through his professor, Dr. David Rudner, that he discovered India. Rudner's research on Nagarathar, or Nattukottai Chettiar, in Tamil Nadu, inspired him to learn Sanskrit at Harvard University. His teacher informed him that to understand India better, he should know about the Dharmashastras, the Sanskrit texts that explain the rules of life, which led him to join the University of Texas. There, he studied Malayalam along with Sanskrit under the guidance of Dr. Rodney F. Moag.

He visited Kozhikode in 1995 and 1996. Despite being able to learn grammar and alphabets from books, he understood that the true essence of the language is found in communication.

“The friends I made during my visit helped me converse better in Malayalam. They are my teachers. To have fluency in conversing, one should practice communicating with others in the language. I learned the pronunciation of various words and letters through continuous practice,” said Davis.

He has published a book named ‘The Train That Had Wings’, an English translation of 15 short stories written by M. Mukundan. He is presently reading the novel ‘Ningal’ by M. Mukundan and ‘Tharakans Grandhavari’ by Benyamin. He returned to India in connection with a project paper of his wife, Mary Raider. They arrived at Kozhikode after travelling to Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Thiruvananthapuram.