Even though it has been sixty-seven years since the state of Kerala came into existence, it is our flaw that Malayalam is still not the official language. That is why the new Chief Secretary Dr. V Venu had to issue a circular stating that all government orders and correspondence should be in Malayalam. It remains to be seen how far the directive in the circular is followed because the content of the Chief Secretary's current circular is nothing new. Public Administration Department had issued such an order six years ago. All the departments of the government had been asked to follow this directive compulsorily. Perhaps the new chief secretary had to revise the order because it did not produce the intended result. There is also a warning that officials who hesitate to comply with the government's correspondence and orders in Malayalam will face action.

The government's position is that the official language should be entirely in Malayalam, but many departments are reluctant to follow it. The main reason is not only the excessive obsession with English but also the fact that many do not know how to write well in Malayalam. Writing ten sentences in Malayalam without mistakes is a difficult task for many officers. When it comes to English, it's easy to find sample files of old correspondence. The new Chief Secretary's strict instruction is to use only Malayalam except in situations where English is mandatory. There will be people among the officials who will describe this as mother tongue madness. Even after six-and-a-half decades, there may be those who insist that communication should be in English. It is the responsibility of the government to issue government orders and notifications in a language that all Malayalis can understand. That is how it is in the neighboring states. It is mandatory for them that not only the government affairs but also the boards of buses and institutions should be in the mother tongue. Although this causes a lot of difficulty for those who come from other states for various purposes, they are not ready for any compromise.

There will be no problem if all the orders, including those of important departments like finance and law, are in Malayalam. One thing to note is that such orders should be readable and understood by common people. Incomprehensibility commonly found in government orders should be carefully avoided in Malayalam orders. It may also be contemplated that the officers should be initially trained to draft orders, letters, notifications and rules in Malayalam.

When the mother tongue is used at all levels of government, people will be better connected with the government. Although the old habit of running to someone who knows English with a letter from the taluk office, administrative center or court is almost gone, there are still a few who wish that they were written in Malayalam. Efforts should be started at least now to make Malayalam universal in the administrative field without waiting for new circulars.