M.K. Stalin’s Row About Hindi

There are many misconceptions even among eminent persons about languages and dialects. The current controversy about Hindi by CM Stalin was one such. While not implementing the three-language formula that is part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Tamil Nadu C.M., MK Stalin claims that the three-language formula is meant to impose Hindi on southern states. He adds that Hindi gobbles up and marginalises other languages. The CM tweeted on 27 Feb: “ Ever wondered how many Indian languages Hindi has swallowed? Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, Mundari and many more are now gasping for survival. The push for a monolithic Hindi identity is what kills ancient mother tongues. UP and Bihar were never just “Hindi heartlands.” Their real languages are now relics of the past.”

The above-mentioned languages were not swallowed by Hindi. Actually, they have similarities with Hindi. Of course, most of them enjoyed the status of a language, once upon a time i.e. they were spoken and written by a large section of people then. However, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj etc gradually became dialects of the Hindi language. Variations in a language are called dialects. Anyone who knows Hindi can understand to a large extent these dialects (Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi etc). They are akin to Hindi with slight variations. And they are all mutually inclusive and intelligible. However a Tamilian may not comprehend Hindi, as Tamil is different from Hindi. Hence, Tamil and Hindi are two different languages.. In the two Telugu-Speaking-states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the Telugu language spoken is different but yet comprehensible to all Telugu-speakers . Hence, the Andhra and Telangana dialects of Telugu come under the larger language of Telugu and they are not mutually exclusive. As far as depletion of languages in the country is concerned, unfortunately, that is true and has been happening ever since independence. Linguistic states were created in India in 1956 but today there are 29 states for 22 languages. Gradually, since independence many languages and dialects have disappeared, as they are not given due importance or patronage. Minor languages in a state are gobbled by hegemonic regional languages (hence, it is not something unique to Hindi, contrary to what Stalin argues). The overarching influence of English is not helpful for the regional languages to fully blossom. As stated by Thiru Stalin, Hindi language did not swallow the other minor languages but they  came under the larger umbrella of Hindi, eventually,. A language will have a big army and navy i.e. many people speaking and writing in it. Whereas a dialect does not enjoy such a privilege. Hence, the Chief Minister’s reasoning  is flawed. Tamil and Hindi being two different languages, they cannot swallow one another. Hindi is no threat to the diversity of India. To bring Hindi to the fore and to gradually make it the national language was the vision of our founding-fathers. Bharat’s culture is multilingual. Even before the British came to India , India was united linguistically and culturally. People moved from place to place (though not as easily and frequently as they do now) without knowing much about the other languages. This is to say that our communication system did not depend on English as a link language because that time Persian and Urdu/Hindustani were the ‘lingua franca’ in most of the country

In the 1960s, when Hindi was proposed as the national language there was blood bath in Madras. But now much water has flowed under the bridge. There is no such hue and cry. Many southerners have learnt Hindi, unconsciously, by watching Hindi Movies and Hindi serials. Many Tamil students, by studying in the Centre’s CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) Syllabus, where Hindi is a compulsory subject, have learnt Hindi easily. Therefore, to say Hindi is alien to Tamilians does not hold water. NEP2020 is a liberal policy. The policy lays out a plan for a three-language formula in school education to promote the country’s multilingualism. According to the policy, in those three languages, two should be Indian. Of course, the third  in all states is English or any other foreign language. Tamil Nadu would not like Hindi or any other Indian language, apart from Tamil and English (two-language formula the state Govt. has been following). They are trying to malign Hindi, as if it was a foreign neocolonial imposition but it is a political ploy. Language is an identity issue. If the funds allotted to state schools are withheld due to non-implementation of the policy, that has to be raised in appropriate forums or take up legal recourse. Last but not least, the desire to use language as a sign of national identity, in this case Hindi rather than English, is very natural. Hindi language has played a prominent part in all national movements including our independence movement. All Indians need to feel the need to cultivate Hindi as the national language to show to the world that they share a common nationality and can communicate between them. Yet, within India, we need to promote all our languages in the spirit of traditional and cultural multilingualism.