HINDI AS INDIA’S OFFICIAL LINGUA FRANCA
By Keith Nongsteng
At the recently concluded “Howdy Modi!” event in Houston, the Prime Minister of India reassured the Indian diaspora and the world at large that “everything is fine” in India, a phrase he repeated in eight different Indian languages. He said that the country’s various languages are an important identity of its liberal and democratic society. Furthermore, he said that India has progressed over the years with many languages and dialects. His statements are quite effective as a form of damage control, given that just a few days ago, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah drew severe criticism and condemnation from many non-Hindi states for the statements he made during the occasion of Hindi Diwas, in which he said that it is the “national responsibility” to promote Hindi in order for the country to realize “the dreams of Gandhi and Sardar Patel of one language for the country”. He added that “Hindi should reach every individual and every home in the country”. At this juncture, it would be imperative to note that in a vastly diverse country such as ours, which has various linguistic groups, each vying for supremacy in their respective regions, the contention of one language as the link language of the country will naturally be marred with opposition and stern discouragement.
Mr Shah claimed that the Constituent Assembly intended that Hindi be made the National Language of India way back in its deliberations. Let us try and revisit history. During the proceedings while discussing the status of languages, Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly of India said, “Even if we acquire a particular proposition passed by majority, if it does not meet with the approval of any considerable section of people, the implementation of the Constitution will become a most difficult problem”. Even Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who the BJP considers as its Founding Father, did not share the view of many of those “who spoke of the day that India shall have one language and one language only”. He stressed the fact that a resolution of the Constituent Assembly could not decide the supremacy of a language. He went on to say that the unity in diversity is India’s keynote and must be achieved by a process of understanding and consent, and for that a proper atmosphere has to be created. The position of our leaders even back then on the issue of language was extremely divided. While one faction wanted the controversial issue to be resolved unanimously, the other side was willing to push through the imposition of Hindi at whatever cost. Thus, it is for these very reasons that the Constitution of India does not dare speak of a so called “National Language” but rather the term “Official Language” is used as defined in Article 343 to avoid confrontations amongst various linguistic communities. This is what is known as the Munshi -Ayyangar” language formula. Ever since the Constitution adopted Hindi as one of the official languages of India, with English intended for just 15 years initially since the said formula was incorporated in Part XVII, Chapter I of the Constitution of India, there has been an ongoing debate between those who want to discontinue the use of English for all official purposes and those who wish to keep it indefinitely.
At a recent debate in one of the prominent news channels, a pro-Hindi panelist said that if a great nation such as the United Kingdom could make English as their National Language despite there being other prominent native languages, which are the languages of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, why couldn’t India make Hindi as our Rashtriya Bhasha? The panelist has answered his own question – “nation” being the operative word. Yogendra Yadav once termed India as a State-Nation, and not a Nation-State. He said that the British “invoked the essential unity of the people of India, but struggled to explain how that essence fitted in all areas that fell within the boundaries of colonial India”. He says that if the notion of nationhood requires people living within a given political boundary to have one language, then claiming nationhood for India required stretching credulity. Even apart from such opinions and actions, the simple fact that most Indians still deal with a multiplicity of languages everyday ensures that the Hindi row will not die out anytime soon. Governments will come and go at the Centre, but the language imbroglio pertaining to Hindi will always be one of the jewels of the crown that they will try to acquire by solving the same.
It must not be forgotten that under Article 345 of the Constitution, subject to the provisions of Articles 346 and 347, the Legislature of a State may adopt any one or more of languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State. There is no time limit specified in Article 345. Originally, the Constitution of India has never intended for a pan-national language of such a nature that the political parties are advocating for today. The Constitution has even created the Eighth Schedule to grant a very special status to various languages, which speaks volumes of the special nature of our great country. Though there exists no specific verdict of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India when it comes to the question of Hindi as the National Language, yet many High Courts of our country have dwelled on this matter in detail and have passed some landmark judgments.
The High Court of Gujarat, in the matter of Amrutlal Popatlal vrs. Chief Secretary (2013 SCC Online Guj 5343), categorically rejected a petition where the plaintiff argued that Hindi is the national language of India. There is also the matter of Jayakant Mishra v. State of Bihar (2002 SCC Online Pat. 991) wherein the Court has opined for the diversity of language use. This year, the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India under the leadership of His Lordship Mr. (Justice) Rajan Gogoi has started the simultaneous publication of the apex court’s judgments in regional languages along with English, and this goes a long way to infer upon the need of an inclusive, multi-language model for official capacities. The Draft National Education Policy 2019 has carried forward the “Three Language Formula” advocated in the first National Education Policy 1968, which speaks of the use of Hindi, English and one regional language. This formula has received opposition from many, especially the south Indian states. One must understand that the problem lies not in the fact that it is the Hindi language per se, but rather on the imposition of the cow-belt areas that all Indians must learn Hindi at all costs. This is what causes distress to one and all. Statistically speaking, as per 2011 Census, only about 25 percent of all Indians identify themselves as native Hindi speakers. The Hindi that is claimed to be spoken in the whole of India is not really Hindi, but rather Hindustani or better still, Bollywood Hindi, and not the pure Hindi that this government is trying to promote.
The linguistic diversity that India has is without a shadow of a doubt, the strength and pride of our great country. Our political leaders must learn to find a holistic solution that will not create turmoil and confusion for the masses. It serves absolutely no purpose to create divisions that have long been imbibed as part of the idea of India, our motherland.
(The author is a student of law and is based in Shillong)