The Rector of GTU, Academician David Gurgenidze congratulates students and colleagues on Mother Language Day

The rector of the Technical University of Georgia, Academician David Gurgenidze congratulates the Georgian nation, students, colleagues, and employees on Mother Language Day, one of the most important sanctities of Georgian statehood.

On April 14^th, the Georgian people were able to protect their native language, and since then, the language and the state have been strengthening and developing together, which is the basis for a dignified return to the European family.

“I congratulate everyone on Mother Language Day, especially the future generation, as today’s fate of the state language is in your hands. From April 14^th, 1978, after 46 years when celebrating Mother Language Day, we should remember that language is the main defining sign of our statehood. We must remember that – “the language is a divine thing, it is a public property, a man should not touch it with the hands of the sinner”, and in Georgia “All prayers will be performed in the Georgian language”.

10 centuries after when Ioane Zosime wrote “Praise and Glory of the Georgian Language”, in 1978, we protected the “language of Lazarus” from Soviet tongs, and in Article 75^th of the Constitution, we wrote: “The state language of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia is the Georgian language” – the Georgian people with a great struggle won the right to have his state language and raised generations to preserve national identity and independence.

After 46 years, this is the most important event in the history of Georgia. We do not need to prove that Georgian is one of the oldest scripts in the world, which is the merit of the events that took place in 1978 – April 14^th is one of the most precious dates in the history of our country, that unites all citizens of Georgia of the world in any corner.

The Georgian language has gone through many trials and perils, but it has not lost the necessary strength to build the future. Language and state have been developing together for centuries, and this way we have come to this day. Soon, we will become a member of the European family with three types of unique alphabets.

The Georgian language is “adorned and blessed by the name of the Lord, humble and rejected, it expects the day of the second coming of the Lord,” and it is the merit of this power that the Georgian language has given to humankind many riches, including one of the masterpieces of world literature – “The Knight in the Panther’s skin”.

Once again, I congratulate you on the day of the victory of the mother language over the evil and remind you of the words of the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi, Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, His Holiness and Beatitude, Ilia II: “The Georgian language is music, not earthly, but spiritual music from heaven! It is the savior of our nation and country… Its clothes are blue, the sky is its origin, and the Lord its parent and protector”, – stated the rector of the Technical University of Georgia, academician David Gurgenidze. 

On April 14^th, 1978, student demonstrations began in Tbilisi against the amendment of the entry of the state language in the constitution. According to the amendment, in the Soviet Republic status of Georgian as the state language was abolished. As a result of the demonstrations, the status of the state language of the Georgian language was preserved. To commemorate the events of April 14, 1978, Mother Language Day has been celebrated since 1990.