01/30/2026, 15:51

Hi, I hope you are doing well.

I wanted to personally thank you for signing the petition. Your support means a lot to me. It shows openness, curiosity, and the ability to look ahead instead of being afraid of change.

We all have our own mother tongues, and that is something to be proud of. At the same time, many of us have found a common language through English. It allows us to connect with people from different regions, understand each other’s cultures and feelings, and communicate clearly in everyday life. That shared understanding is powerful.

Switzerland works because people cooperate across languages and regions. If English suddenly disappeared from daily use and everything was pushed back to local languages only, many things would become harder very quickly. From administration to business, from education to everyday coordination, English already plays a practical role. These are not the old days anymore, and that is not a bad thing.

I say this also from personal experience. My ethnic background is Indian, and in some parts of India today, people are pressured to use only local languages. This often creates tension and negativity rather than unity. Language should bring people together, not push them apart.

Switzerland has prospered because it has always been open to the world. Banking, tourism, manufacturing, research, and education all grew because the country did not limit itself to only serving local populations in local languages. That openness is one of the reasons Switzerland is respected globally, and I hope it continues for generations to come. It is a beautiful country, and many of us genuinely want to contribute and make it one of the best places to live on this planet.

Some people fear that giving English a formal place would harm Swiss culture. I believe the opposite is true. Culture grows when it is shared. Science, literature, and poetry have always crossed borders through translation. Rabindranath Tagore’s work reached the world because it was translated. Medical knowledge written centuries ago in Arabic saved lives because it was shared beyond one language. Openness never erased culture, it helped others understand and respect it.

Thank you once again for signing the petition and for being part of this conversation. Your support matters more than you might think.

Kind regards,
Shuvaseesh Das