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November 12th, 2009 
Girish Nikam By Girish Nikam
The Language chauvinists are at it again. The disgusting scenes witnessed in the Maharashtra Assembly earlier this week, has once again brought into the forefront the dangers of linguistic chauvinism. Especially in a country which has so many languages and dialects. What Raj Thackeray and his newly elected goons to the Maharashtra Assembly have displayed has already met with all round condemnation.
The Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) however is obviously enjoying all the publicity surrounding their dastardly, not to say, unconstitutional, act. The MNS which made a significant impression in the recent elections to the Maharashtra Assembly has taken it as a signal for it to show its muscle power in defending the rights of the Maharashtrians. Mind you, MNS started off with targeting and terrorising north Indian migrants and have now shifted or rather added opposition to the language they speak. It is ironical that all this happened in Bombay, a place which nurtures hindi cinema which has virtually gone on to unify the entire country for so many decades.
There is no doubt there is some substance in the argument that in State Assemblies elected representatives should understand and possibly also speak the language of the State. We cannot forget the fact that when States were reorganized after independence the criteria adopted was the language. There have been several theories and arguments that it was a mistake, and it in fact provided ground for nurturing language chauvinism. This argument cannot be brushed aside perfunctorily.
However, the question raised is what if not language, should have been the parameter? Coming back to elected representatives speaking the language of the State where they are elected from, it has a practical ring to it. After all we have been increasingly witnessing members getting elected to the Assemblies (even Parliament) who know no other language than their State language. There are Chief Ministers who cannot speak any other language than one. In such an atmosphere business in the State Assemblies are increasingly being transacted in the language of the State.
So if a member does not understand or speak the language, will he be able to understand the proceedings or even contribute meaningfully to it? Of course this is a question which the electorate of the constituency which elects him or her, has to think. But if majority of them dont have a problem with it, why should he be targeted?
In the case of Abu Azmi, all the above questions are relevant. However, no one can take away his right to take oath in Hindi. The MNS goons and their boss twisted political logic to justify the attack, stinks of opportunism and hypocrisy, apart from downright goondaism.
The anti-hindi tenor the MNS has adopted is outdated, though certainly provocative. In fact Hindi is no more the language of just the cow belt. In many other parts of India, it is common now to hear Hindi being used as the bridge language by those whose mother tongue is not Hindi. Just keep your ears open in Bangalore, and it wont be surprising to hear a kannadiga and a Bengali speaking in Hindi or an Oriya and a Tamil slipping into Hindi. Similar is the situation in Chennai, Kochi, Bhubhaneshwar, and you name any other place now. In Delhi, it is common to see a Kannadiga and a Malayali, or a Bengali and Tamil, using Hindi to converse,
How many know that the common language used by the people of Arunachal Pradesh, is Hindi? Because in that State there is no common tribal language among the myriad tribes and the myriad languages they speak. So even if one travels in remote parts of Arunachal, communication is not a problem if one knows Hindi. So this assault on Hindi does not amuse even common non-Hindi speakers, though it does find reasonance among the chauvinists and the political class out to make political capital.
It was rather surprising as well as heartening to find while travelling in Tamil Nadu during the last general elections to the Lok Sabha, how the Hindi pop culture has permeated the once highly chauvinistic society( the politics in Tamil Nadu continues to be chauvinistic not allowing any other language to take roots). Rekha, an early 20s dalit girl, in Samuthavapuram, on the outskirts of Sivaganga, relaxing in her DMK government-built home for weaker sections on Sunday, preferred watching a Hindi movie! Kareena Kapoor and Shah Rukh Khan are her favourite stars. And she watches a number of Hindi TV serials too.
This in a State where Hindi is still a political hot potato! Obviously the ravings and rantings by the Tamil chauvinists have little effect on Rekha and her ilk that run into lakhs in the State. Tamil Nadu has witnessed some of the worst anti-hindi riots in the past and the impact is still felt, though it was more than four decades ago. It was under such an atmosphere that the present Union Minister M.K.Azhagiri was brought up, and now finds himself in a quandary in the nations capital, not being able to adjust without knowing Hindi or even English properly.
Azhagiris predicament should be a lesson for all language chauvinists, certainly the MNS. If parties like the DMK and MNS talk of being a Roman in Rome, or rather a Tamil in Tamil Nadu and a Marathi in Maharashtra, they should also understand that in the nations capital whether they like it or not, it is Hindi which prevails. And by discouraging their people to learn Hindi, they are only doing disservice to them. Because after all every Indian has a right to the pie in Delhi, and they can claim it better when they know the local language.
As one born and brought up in Mysore and growing up when the anti-hindi agitation was at its peak, one feels lucky not to have been consumed by such language hatred. In fact many of us then were die hard fans of Hindi films, and none of that street sloganeering by the chauvinists stopped us from continuing to watch them. Not only that, many of us even went to Hindi classes in the local Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha, ironically headquartered then, and even now I guess, in Madras.
It did us no harm to have picked up the language, and when one sits in a Hindi news TV channel in the capital and converses, one feels blessed not to have been taken in by the language chauvinists. What Raj Thackeray and his ilk of hypocritical and opportunistic language chauvinists are doing once again, is to create an atmosphere for hating a language, and thereby depriving lakhs of wider opportunities, apart from breeding hatred on the basis of ones language. It has no place in a modern globalised world and hopefully people will not get carried away. What Raj Thackeray and his goons should remember is that it is one thing to fight for jobs for the locals, but it is entirely another matter to hound people on the basis of the language they speak.
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I entirely agree, being a Malayali married to a UP-ite and working in Bangalore. I consider knowing 4 languages a distinct advantage and pity those who know only one, or two. Multiculturalism is a wonderful feeling, when one is absolutely at home in several cultures. Imagine the number of festivals one can celebrate and the feasts that one can have!
Your observations are right on language proficiency. Even in karnataka there are some disturbances, every now and then on useage of local language–but this group never got the electoral support (save Mr Vatal nagaraj). It is unfortunate that the electoral battles these days are on such trivial issues and not any ideology or policies.
BTW– Pl be careful-Your article raises some more issues!! It is Mumbai and not Bombay, Bangalooru instead of Bangalore and ofcourse Chennai and definitely not Madras!!!!
Sir it is certain very well written.
This extreme act of language chauvinism is leading us nowhere. MNS and DMK goons just want to do politics and do not have any long term thinking for themselves nor for their followers. As rightly said they will lose out their share of pie in Delhi.
But I have a larger question as to what is the role to be played by regional languages? Has the time arrived to declare that hence forth we will use English and Hindi and there is no need for any other regional language?
I never tried to compare my mother tongue with any other language, for me no language is superior nor inferior.
I feel happy to have learnt Hindi, when I watch a hindi movie, I feel very fortunate to have learnt Kannada when I read Bendre, Karanth and others or even when I listen to the lyrics written by Jayanth Kaykini. so also I feel very unfortunate to have not learnt Urdu when I cannot understand a beautiful composition in its entirety and have to resort to secondary sources.
Having said that I feel that language gives a perosn an identity. I deplore making children speak only in English saying its a global language and will make their future bright and achieve great heights. True,great heights, but those heights without proper roots will bring in an identity crisis.
I feel that there are certain contradictions. Though the means used by MNS and DMK or KARAVE may be wrong but the underlying issue needs some consideration.
kya bole hain boss! bawaal!
An excellent analysis of the situation. Being a Mysorean like you, bulk of my working life has been in the northern part of the country and knowledge of Hindi was a great help. But if one goes back to the early sixties, when SrialBahadurh Sastri was our prime minister, learnign of Hindi was made compulsory in schools and I think that triggered the anti-hindi movement in Tamil Nadu and now has moved on to Maharashtra. I think the best thing we can do in to totally ignore such lumpen elements like the MNS. On the other hand, the media gives them a lot of publicity and this is what they want. The worst punishment you can extend to such persons is to totally ignore them and move on. Meidia is also to blame for blowing it up.
Sai Ram Saranga Pani.
Hi,
Understand one thing, every one love their language.
We tamil, always love our language equal to our mother.
We consider our language equal to Sanskrit, were the sanskrit is dead. But Tamil still flourish, how can you guys ask us switch to Hindi.
after independence ear, most of the politician in central come from hindi belt and they all know hindi, want hindi to be national language. Then why dont we call them as hindi chauvinists.
You guys know one thing,
If we learn hindi, it is use full to watch only bollywood films .Without knowing hindi also we can see the movie, since most of the movies is utter copy from hollywood or any south indian movie.
You are telling the girl sitting in house given by DMK government is watching a hindi movie.
I cannot beleive this statement……
When you are ask for abu azmi, to speak hindi in maharastra assembly, (since he is selected by the people for the people). Why the hindi chauvinists central government allow alagiri, to speak in Tamil in parliment (is he not selected by the people for the people). You can argue alagiri is politician and corrupt, say me one politician who is not corrupt.
Though you say tamils are chauvinists (you didnt say all), they have done only good things to the people. We have good infrastructure, good manufacturing hub, textile , agriculture, IT industry and play key role in getting FDI.
But when tamil people leave to other state, they need to learn their local language. They learn and they dont cry that these people dont know tamil. (like a NI crying TN people not knowing Hindi ).
Like wise when others come into TN they have to learn basic tamil , till you reach your home.
Till TN in india, no body can make hindi as national language. Lets all the language and all culture flourish, then only it will be called india. I dont want my country to split like yugoslavia.
Also wanna ask one question, you say when you go to delhi you have speak the local language (obviously hindi), did you learn tamil when you visted sivagangai in TN. when you say DMK should stop roman in rome, then why you expect tamil should be hindi in delhi. Why dont i call NI hindi chauvinists, that you want hindi everywhere.
Satish I have no argument with most of your opinions expressed here. I also appreciate and endorse your view that all language and culture should be allowed to flourish. As far as your direct question to me, about my encouter in Sivagangai, Yes I have learnt Tamil and I did speak to her and her family in Tamil. In fact my knowledge of more than basic tamil, helped me during my travels in the State.
Sitting in a small curios shop in Mysore for the better part of my life I was lucky to be exposed to many languages like Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, French, German and of course English and my mother tongue Kannada. All of us know that Hindi is the national language as it is spoken by a majority of the people in the country. Hence we cannot ignore it and that is how it has become a link language like English.
Quote
Azhagiris predicament should be a lesson for all language chauvinists, certainly the MNS. If parties like the DMK and MNS talk of being a Roman in Rome, or rather a Tamil in Tamil Nadu and a Marathi in Maharashtra, they should also understand that in the nations capital whether they like it or not, it is Hindi which prevails.
Unquote
You sound more like a hypocrite. You support the speaker denying Azhagiri to answer questions in Tamil but want MNS to allow Mr Azmi take oath in Hindi. Extending to your logic further do you think all UN representative should speak in english because UN is located in New York.
Every coin has two sides. Raj is geting popularity among marathies and hated by hindi speaking people.
See, Languege, culture and Religions are some very sensitive matter which should not be treated by politician as they are doing now. Our constitution gave equal right to all major 22 langueges,which are in used acoross the country. Need to take strict action who are provoing people on these ground.
good analysis.
Guys,
Why are you wasting your efforts responding to Hindi Chavunists like this guy? You put your efforts in to learning or enhancing Tamil or other languages of yours.
Thanks.
I have read some of the comments, and I hear people say that Hindi is the national Language.
Someone has to put an end to this myth. India does not have a national language.
Hindi is the official language, something used only for official purposes.
It’s a torture to stay in Chennai. Being a metro and being a part of India, there is no respect to the national language. If you speak in Hindi, though they would understand, they would ask you to speak in Tamil or English. These people think they are a different country and have defined Tamil as their national language for that matter.
Yesterday I came across a Policeman who at the first place tried to show off and misbehaved, used filthy words as well. And when I asked in Hindi “kya hua”, he said “Don’t talk in Hindi, talk in Tamil or Engish”. What do these people think of themselves? They don’t have respect for other’s mother tongue, how do they expect their language to be resopected. I wonder how these people would manage with Tamil when they go to the rest of India. They would neither be understood nor explained. I pity people who just encourage Tamil to be learnt and used in Tamil Nadu. Its better they donot come out of their homes.
Ok..leave aside Hindi being our national language, but why should the Police ask me to talk in Tamil or English? How would it be if you go to West Bengal tomorrow for a month or so and the people ask you to talk in Bengali?? U go to Orissa and they ask you to talk in Odia?? There is one common language that is required to communicate. And for this we have chosed Hindi. Why is this state not aware of this fact? Why is it that they are not encouraged to learn our National language?
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- Laura
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PAST & PRESENT
Hindi chauvinism
RAMACHANDRA GUHA
`Under the British, English had emerged as the language of higher education and administration. Would it remain in this position after the British left? The politicians of the North thought that it should be replaced by Hindi. The politicians and people of the South preferred that English continue as the vehicle of inter-provincial communication.’
I HAVE recently been reading the debates of the Constituent Assembly of India. These are a treasure-trove; invaluable to the scholar, but also well worth reading by the citizen. Among the topics debated by the Assembly were federalism, minority rights, preventive detection — topics that were contentious then, and continue to be contentious now. However, by far the most controversial subject was language: the language to be spoken in the House, the language in which the Constitution would be written, the language which would be given that singular designation, “national”.
On December 10, 1946, effectively the first day of business, R.V. Dhulekar of the United Provinces moved an amendment. When he began speaking in Hindustani, the Chairman reminded him that many members did not know the language. This was Dhulekar’s reply: “People who do not know Hindustani have no right to stay in India. People who are present in this House to fashion a Constitution for India and do not know Hindustani are not worthy to be members of this Assembly. They had better leave.”
The remarks created a commotion in the House. “Order, order!” yelled the Chairman, but Dhulekar then moved that “the Procedure Committee should frame rules in Hindustani and not in English. As an Indian I appeal that we, who are out to win freedom for our country and are fighting for it should think and speak in our own language. We have all along been talking of America, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and the House of Commons. It has given me a headache. I wonder why Indians do not speak in their own language. As an Indian I feel that the proceedings of the House should be conducted in Hindustani. We are not concerned with the history of the world. We have the history of our own country of millions of past years.”
The printed proceedings continue:
“The Chairman: Order, order!
Shri R.V. Dhulekar (speaking still in Hindustani): I request you to allow me to move my amendment.
The Chairman: Order, order! I do not permit you to proceed further. The House is with me that you are out of order.”
At this point Dhulekar finally shut up. But the issue would not go away. In one session, members urged the House to order the Government to change all car number plates from English to Hindi. More substantively, they demanded that the official version of the Constitution be in Hindi, with an unofficial version in English. This the Drafting Committee did not accept, saying that the foreign language could better articulate the technical and legal terms of the document. When a draft Constitution was placed for discussion, members asked for a discussion of each clause in Hindi. To adopt a document written in English, they said, would be “insulting”.
Under the British, English had emerged as the language of higher education and administration. Would it remain in this position after the British left? The politicians of the North thought that it should be replaced by Hindi. The politicians and people of the South preferred that English continue as the vehicle of inter-provincial communication.
Jawaharlal Nehru himself was exercised early by the question. In an essay of the late 1930s, he expressed his admiration for the major provincial languages. Without “infringing in the least on their domain”, said Nehru, there must still be an all-India language of communication. English was too far removed from the masses; so he opted instead for Hindustani, which he defined as a “golden mean” between Hindu and Urdu.
Like Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi thought that Hindustani could unite North with South and Hindu with Muslim. It, rather than English, should be the rashtrabhasha, or national language. As he saw it, “Urdu diction is used by Muslims in writing. Hindi diction is used by Sanskrit pundits. Hindustani is the sweet mingling of the two”. In 1945, he engaged in a lively exchange with Purushottamdas Tandon, a man who fought hard, not to say heroically, to rid Hindi of its foreign elements. Tandon was Vice-President of the All India Hindi Literature Conference, which held that Hindi with the Devanagari script alone should be the national language. Gandhi, who had long been a member of the Conference, was dismayed by its chauvinist drift. Since he believed that both the Nagari and Urdu scripts should be used, perhaps it was time to resign his membership. Tandon tried to dissuade him, but, as Gandhi put it, “How can I ride two horses? Who will understand me when I say that rashtrabhasha = Hindi and rashtrabhasha = Hindi + Urdu = Hindustani?”
Partition more-or-less killed the case for Hindustani. The move to further Sanskritise Hindi gathered pace. One can see this at work in the Constituent Assembly, where early references were to Hindustani, but later references all to Hindi. After the division of the country, the promoters of Hindi became even more fanatical. As Granville Austin observes, “The Hindi-wallahs were ready to risk splitting the Assembly and the country in their unreasoning pursuit of uniformity.” Their crusade provoked some of the most heated debates in the House. Hindustani would not have been acceptable to South Indians; Hindi, even less so. Whenever a member spoke in Hindi, another member would ask for a translation into English. When the case was made for Hindi to be the sole national language, it was bitterly opposed. Representative are these remarks of T.T. Krishnamachari of Madras:
“We disliked the English language in the past. I disliked it because I was forced to learn Shakespeare and Milton, for which I had no taste at all … (I)f we are going to be compelled to learn Hindi … I would perhaps not to be able to do it because of my age, and perhaps I would not be willing to do it because of the amount of constraint you put on me. … This kind of intolerance makes us fear that the strong Centre which we need, a strong Centre which is necessary will also mean the enslavement of people who do not speak the language of the Centre. I would, Sir, convey a warning on behalf of people of the South for the reason that there are already elements in South India who want separation… ., and my honourable friends in U.P. do not help us in any way by flogging their idea (of) `Hindi Imperialism’ to the maximum extent possible. Sir, it is up to my friends in U.P. to have a whole-India; it is up to them to have a Hindi-India. The choice is theirs… .”
The Assembly finally arrived at a compromise; that “the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in the Devanagari script”; but for “15 years from the commencement of the Constitution, the English language shall continue to be used for all the official purposes of the Union for which it was being used immediately before such commencement”. Till 1965, at any rate, the proceedings of the courts, the services, and the all-India bureaucracy would be conducted in English.
In 1965, attempts were made to introduce Hindi by force, sparking widespread protests in Tamil Nadu. In 1967, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) rode to power in Tamil Nadu on the back of these protests. Wisely, the Union Government extended the use of English in inter-State communication. But from time to time, the chauvinists of Hindi try to press their case. In his previous term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav wrote a letter in his language to the Chief Minister of Kerala, E.K. Nayanar. Mr. Nayanar replied in his language. It was a brilliant riposte: for while Hindi was not widely spoken in Thiruvanthapuram, in Lucknow, Malayalam was not known at all.