JOIN USUnion Home Minister Amit Shah has unwisely raked up the language controversy again with his statement that Hindi should be made the language of communication for people of non-Hindi areas or states. Shah has said that it is time “to make the official language an important part of the unity of the country, and that when citizens of states who speak other languages communicate with each other, it should be in the language of India.” His statement contains a wrong understanding and assumptions about the role of Hindi in the country. In a modern society, languages have many functions — as a means of communication, and as a medium of administration, education and other areas. The present government is consciously pushing the use of Hindi in all these areas in the country.
The Home Ministry had two years ago told civil servants in a circular that they should work for the “promotion and progressive use of Hindi’’ and that it was their constitutional obligation to use Hindi. Shah also had made a call to make Hindi the country’s national language and to take it to all regions by 2024. His latest statement is a continuation of that. He has demanded that Hindi be accepted as an alternative to English but it is for the people to decide what language they should use. Hindi cannot be imposed on people in place of English, which has gained wide acceptability in the country. More than a quarter of school children in the country are enrolled in English-medium schools. It is the language of knowledge and technology and is the window to the world for most people. Hindi is not in a position to replace it.
Hindi is not the ‘national language’ of the country and is only the official language of the Union government and some states. States have their own official languages such as Kannada, Punjabi and Bengali. English is also an official language in some states. It is recognised as an Indian language like many other languages. The urge to force Hindi on non-Hindi states has led to protests and major agitations in the past. Shah’s statement has also attracted sharp responses. India is a country with many languages and its linguistic diversity is a strength, not a weakness. Shah’s prescription of Hindi will not promote unity but will only be divisive. It is based on the idea of “one country, one language’’ which will not work in India. Language should not be a tool of politics. It should be left to the people to decide how they should use it. It should also be left to the states to decide how they should communicate among themselves.