The debate over Hindi has again come to the fore and draws attention to Twitter trends. For years we have been hearing such statements and have become accustomed to them. Let’s go rationally, check the facts and believe because “Pehle Padho aur Phir Vishwas Karo”.
According to article 343(1) of the Indian Constitution, India has two official or administrative languages—Hindi in Devanagari Scripts and English. But if we observe and look at it attentively, we can understand why English is our administrative language.
Britishers ruled over India for about 250 years, and for trade, they wanted to expand and develop the English so that the individuals who learned it could work for Britishers. Since, it has continued and has expanded throughout the country.
If India exclusively represents Hindi because it demonstrates patriotism and love for the nation, India will never be progressive anytime soon because for the Foreign Trade or International Business, people need to be fluent in the International or Universal Languages, such as English.
However, if it is only applied within the nation, it will not be perceived as a benefit because many of us did not acquire Hindi and were instead taught regional or state languages, which, in my opinion, are no less important than Hindi.
The Idea of “One Nation, One Language” will never be favourable since it is against democracy. Therefore, we must understand that in a democracy, we must be tolerant of and respect each other’s choices, perspectives and viewpoints.
Why Doesn’t India Have A National Language?
Moving further in the discussion, I’d also want to draw the attention of my audience to make them understand why India lacks a national language.
The solution is straightforward. India is the world’s largest democracy with a diverse culture. Different religions and castes coexist. However, nowadays, the situation in India is worse than ever, but people have optimism.
If Hindi is recognised as India’s national language, the identical situation and conditions that occurred in 1971 between Pakistan and East Pakistan (Bangladesh) will recur and history will be repeated.
The implementation of the Urdu language has left an indelible mark on Pakistan’s economic and cultural values; millions of Punjabis and Pashtuns are still unable to communicate in Urdu. Punjabi is spoken by roughly 70 million people in Pakistan, out of a total population of 110 million.
So you can understand the dilemma, and on the other hand, we Indians constantly portray and promote India differently than Pakistan, so if we do the same thing as Pakistan, we will no longer be distinguishable from these countries.
A Twitter dispute between Bollywood actor-director Ajay Devgn and Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep about the status of Hindi as “Rashtriya bhasha” has prompted Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and previous Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to support Sudeep.
.@KicchaSudeep मेरे भाई,
— Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) April 27, 2022
आपके अनुसार अगर हिंदी हमारी राष्ट्रीय भाषा नहीं है तो आप अपनी मातृभाषा की फ़िल्मों को हिंदी में डब करके क्यूँ रिलीज़ करते हैं?
हिंदी हमारी मातृभाषा और राष्ट्रीय भाषा थी, है और हमेशा रहेगी।
जन गण मन ।
However, the feud has sparked outrage in Punjab, which is a long way away.
With both the actors sparring on Twitter, the subject has gained even more traction. Through a tweet written in Hindi, Devgn chastised Sudeep.
“You claimed that a pan India film was made in Kannada,” Sudeep, who has also acted in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films, said in response to the success of the Kannada film KGF Chapter 2, which has grossed over ₹900 crore in just 2 weeks.
“I have a little correction to make. The national language of India is no longer Hindi. Today, they (Bollywood) make films that are pan-India. They are attempting (but failing) to achieve success through dubbing in Telugu and Tamil. We’re making films that are going to be seen all around the world right now.”
Devgn responded by asking why south films are being dubbed in Hindi if Hindi isn’t the national language, whereas Sudeep responded with a series of tweets stating that the context in which he talked was “completely different” and that he “loves and respects” all of the country’s languages.
He did, however, take a swipe at Devgn for tweeting to him in Hindi, saying, “No offence sir, but I was wondering what’d happen if my response was typed in Kannada.!! Don’t we too belong to India sir.”
Later, Sudeep was referred to as “a friend” by Devgn, who thanked him for “clearing up the misunderstanding” and said that “maybe something was lost in translation”.
But the matter didn’t close here—”Given a spark in gunpowder will cause a fire” or “Hands were washed in the flowing Ganges” are proverbs that relate to this issue. In Uttar Pradesh, Cabinet Minister Sanjay Nishad did just that.
According to Nishad, those who don’t love Hindi are favourable of foreign countries and are presumed to be a foreigner, and those who don’t communicate in Hindi, are free to leave the country and should live elsewhere.
Nishad, the president of the Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD), appears to be Durbal by expressing his thoughts on the subject. Nishad, a BJP associate, declared that individuals who want to live in “Hindustan” would have to love Hindi.
“If anyone does not love Hindi, it would be presumed he or she is a foreigner or have links with foreign forces,” Nishad interviewed a news broadcaster. He went on to say that while “regional languages should be honoured”, Hindi was about national interest.
Asserting that “Hindustan” was a “sthan” or place for those who spoke Hindi, Nishad also proclaimed that those who do not speak the language should leave the country and go elsewhere.
Going beyond Sanjay’s opinion, if we look into history, then the truth reveals itself. Nishad uses the word “sthan” to explain his point, and “sthan” means place. But many ministers, however, frequently use the term “Hindustan”, implying that it is the place where Hindus live or it is the Land of Hindus.
But if you really find this to be true, then please understand that you have misunderstood. We have been taught that the civilisation constructed on the banks of the Indus river or “Sindhu Nadi” was known as the “Indus valley civilisation”.
The people used to pronounce the word “Sa/ स” as “Ha/ ह”, which is why the word Hindustan was coined instead of Sindhusthan. However, there are many differing viewpoints on this. But here’s the thing: it’s a fact.
There’s also a fascinating fact about Hindi: the word “Hindi” does not appear in the Hindi lexicon; it was adopted from Urdu.
It is crucial to highlight that language is not utilised to represent any caste, religion, sect or culture when discussing any of these themes. A language’s primary purpose is to allow people to communicate their thoughts and information and share their knowledge with each another.
Although it is a significant and a vital element of our culture, in which caste, religion and race are all mixed, language unites us and brings us together; languages are made for love.