The figure’s mind-boggling.
There are as many as 1,700 languages spoken as mother tongue, in India.
These languages, aside from the 18 officially recognized in the
Constitution, evolved through the millennia by the broad-spectrum of races
that came into our ancient land, from other parts of the world. And, as
maybe obvious, Indian languages of today have sprouted, as it were, from
various language families vis-à-vis ethnic peculiarities. They maybe
classified into six major groups: Negroid; Austric; Sino-Tibetan;
Indo-Aryan; Dravidian; and, miscellaneous speeches. Their meaning, in
whole or part, is self-explanatory.
Paradoxically, this statistical rigmarole has always been a mirage,
because, India has never had a common language, intelligible to every
Indian. Agreed, that the ‘language of the gods,’ Sanskrit, was a common
medium, in ancient India; it wasn’t, thereafter. Like English, under the
British, which is now restricted to the educated. Which is why the crux of
the entire problem, so far as our lingual conundrum is concerned, lies in
India’s own helplessness to having a common language, acceptable to all…
And, add to this the scepter of linguistic divide and fanaticism around —
and, you’ve a mess.
Who is to blame?
All of us. Here’s a general hypothesis:
Over 22 years ago, Karnataka took a major step. In the wrong direction. It
introduced Kannada as its official language, giving it the first slot in
status. Government records, correspondence etc., were ordered to be
conducted in Kannada, the state’s own language. Officials were even
advised to get conversant with it for their own good. While private firms
were asked to foster this policy, typewriters, in the language, were
procured, and put to use in offices. If this isn’t Kannadigas’ — otherwise
the most tolerant and cultured populace, who don’t even give a hint that
they know the language outside the state’s borders, at times — linguistic
fanaticism, what is?
For the past few years, Kannada zealots have gone a step further. They
have been compelling non-Kannada speaking minorities to accept the
regional language as the sole-first language in schools, knowing fully
well that this would affect the mother tongue of various groups of state
inhabitants, interfere with their desire, freedom and adherence to their
language and culture. While this emotional phenomenon seems to be the
order of the day, Tamil Nadu may very well take the cake from most, thanks
to its linguistic extremism…
It would also be interesting to note that many of the votaries of
Kannadisation — from eminent writers, poets, and even film stars — have
taken up the cudgels against the growing trend of Hindi jingoism by their
north Indian counterparts. Which is a paradox, in spite of the fact that
non-Hindi speaking citizens have a good case, as this very transgression
has already resulted in brandish discrimination against them as
appointments and promotions depend practically on their passing
examinations in Hindi.
And, while Kannada fans plead with gusto that Hindi ‘imposition’ is a
violation of the guarantee that the Constitution has bestowed, they just
don’t see and realize that they, as Kannada enthusiasts, are doing the
akin, immature unconstitutional injustice to linguistic minorities in
Karnataka vis-à-vis their northern friends to non-Hindi speaking citizens
of India. Which is a tragedy. Unless every citizen — at least those who
claim to possess leadership qualities, culture, education, and wisdom —
thinks that India is one, and that every other citizen as having that
inalienable right to equality, irrespective of mother tongue, caste, creed
etc., these fissiparous, separatist and autocratic ways are bound to raise
their ugly, poltergeist heads, again and again.
After all, what does one lose or does the regional language suffer if some
want to take their own mother tongue as the first language in schools?
And, why should they be denied the freedom to have the language of their
choice as the first language in education? Secularism, in India, must be
universal in application — even if a few concessions are given. A language
group could be allowed to develop its own mother tongue as much as it
likes, provided this does not hamper the rights of other groups, who have
equal citizenship rights.
No language should be considered superior to others. All languages
prevalent in India should be treated as equal. At the same time, no
language should also be thought of as inferior to another. That would be
linguistic discrimination, and as ignoble as treating a group of citizens
as inferior and another as superior.
The insistence on the exclusion of English has become, as of now, a sort
of status symbol, a touchstone of supremacy and learning, to many of our
linguistic torch-bearers, not to speak of their avowed predilection for
regionalism. When Russia and China have started taking the language
seriously as being of global importance, why should we suffer from
symptoms of a ‘post-colonial’ hangover? We should remember that Marathi or
Oriya is not as advanced as German or French. Only a few scientific, legal
and technical equivalents exist in all of our 18 official languages.
Automatically, people specializing in these fields would be at a loss in
communicating with foreign researchers. Imagine this spectacle. What would
one coin a decipherable Konkani equivalent for a medical term as simple as
sinusitis?!
Our linguistic gaucherie has by and large influenced and inflamed the
passions of our excitable masses and students, who under the present
dispensation of fulsome grievances and gross indiscipline, seem to be
wanting and even capitalizing on such diversions without any thought of
damage to their own future. The country is already in turmoil. From
terrorism and communal backlash to other somber and inhuman acts. Let not
the language issue create another dissonant field for social evil, and
benefit only the exploiter, omnipresent as s/he maybe.
Boloji.com is owned and managed by
Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
