On my ghost mother tongue When she was seven years old, Aditi Natasha Kini was asked what her mother tongue was. Amchigele, she replied. She did not know that the word actually meant "our language" and it was how speakers of Konkani referred to it affectionately. Kini grew into the language at her mother’s breast and lost it living in the diaspora, her native Konkani diluted by English, Hindi and Gujarati. Spoken in the western Indian state of Goa, Konkani fought to resist centuries of Portuguese colonisation, and later the struggle for Goa’s annexation to India, until it eventually became Goa’s official language.

I must admit I had never heard of Konkani – just like I have never heard of hundreds of other languages, many of which are endangered. What I loved about this essay is the writer’s internal search to explain why she lost her native language, and her conclusion that it is impossible to explain the reasons for this without explaining the history of colonisation Goa went through.

Irene, First 1,000 Days correspondent Bitch Media: ‘Konkani Is an ancient language in danger of being forgotten’ (reading time: eight minutes)
The fun police won’t stop the coronavirus If you were to believe the sensational news coverage in the US and Europe, everyone is at a house party during the coronavirus pandemic. (I guess my invite got lost in the mail?! No, it’s fine. Honestly. The mail service has been, uh, really slow since the pandemic.)

In this Atlantic article, epidemiologist Julia Marcus argues that yes, crowded events need to be avoided, but policing people’s behaviour won’t help. We’ve come to accept the message that pleasure must be avoided during the pandemic. Chastising people for being careless is understandable, but a smarter approach would be to ask them why they’re partying.

The simple reason is that the desire for human connection is essential, so how can we lower infection rates while prioritising well-being? The HIV epidemic taught us that criminalising behaviour only drives it further underground, making it more difficult to handle effectively.

The solution? Compassionately encouraging ways for people to connect (outdoor events, for example, or food trucks and drinks to go).

Shaun, copy editor The Atlantic: ‘The fun police need to stand down’ (reading time: 15 minutes)

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