Originally posted by: angie.4u
After reading some posts above , I feel that its b coz some ppl wud rather accept English as a language for communication over some other language such as Hindi which they associate with a region other than their own.
why is this issue being raised again..it was solved in 1965............ok, lets go back to history .
In 1949,
Constituent Assembly had chosen Hindi as the sole national language. This led to protest in the southern states cause, it was an inposition on us. We joined India, to be a part of the union, be a part of its growth, not to become a colony. Hence imposition of a language that is completely foreign to us, cannot be accepted. and this issue was raised at that time itself to the congress which was the central govt at that time.
The southern states have always protested the impostion of hindi as the national language. And the protest was so strong that, the people wanted to break off from India, cos we felt that, our rights are not safeguarded - we are treated as a colony of the "hindi speaking majority" and they are imposing their rule on us.(pls note that, this was the situation in the 1950s.........when the states had just formed the indian union)
So these states were given a 15-year "grace period", when English would be used along with Hindi in communication between the Centre and the States. However even on 26 jan 1965 - when this 15 yr grace period got over, the people were not ready to accept hindi. They are indians but that doesn't mean, another language can be imposed on them. In the words of Annadurai, " You can speak Tamil or English and yet be a good Indian"
However, the center, with Shastri as the prime minister, decided that "the only good patriots are those who speak (and write) Hindi" and decided to make Hindi as the official language on 26 jan of that year. And so, on 27 jan, large scale protest started in these states. Students boycotted classes. In numerous villages bonfires were made of effigies of the Hindi demoness. In railway stations and post offices, Hindi signs were removed or blackened over. strikes, bandhs, processions, boycotts, dharnas and also taking ones life. On Republic Day itself, two men set themselves on fire in Madras. One left a letter saying he wanted to sacrifice himself at the altar of Tamil. Three days later, a 20-year-old man in Tiruchi killed himself by consuming insecticide. He too left a note saying his suicide was in the cause of Tamil. These 'martyrdoms', in turn, sparked dozens of more strikes, processions, boycotts and dharnas.
On the last day of January, a group of prominent Congressmen met in Bangalore to issue an appeal to 'the Hindi-loving people not to try to force Hindi on the people of non-Hindi areas'. The hustling of Hindi in haste, they said, would imperil the unity of the country. On February 11, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's hand was forced by the resignation of two Union Ministers from Madras. The same evening the Prime Minister went on All India Radio to convey his 'deep sense of distress and shock' at the 'tragic events'.
Assurance to the southern states by the central govt.
'First, every State will have complete and unfettered freedom to continue to transact its own business in the language of its own choice, which may be the regional language or English.
Second, communications from one State to another will either be in English or will be accompanied by an authentic English translation.
Third, the non-Hindi States will be free to correspond with the Central Government in English and no change will be made in this arrangement without the consent of the non-Hindi States.
Fourth, in the transaction of business at the Central level English will continue to be used'.
Later, Shastri added a crucial fifth assurance ' that the All India Civil Services Examination would continue to be conducted in English rather than in the medium of Hindi alone.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And so, for the southern states, we have the assurance that, Hindi will not be the national language. India will not have a national language. Hindi will not be imposed on us and we are free to have our official communication in the language of our choice, be it the regional language or English.
Edited by lakshmim_84 - 16 years ago
Current Affairs
