Mahayuti backtracked on resolution mandating Hindi as default 3rd language in govt schools across Maharashtra. Reversal had more to do with political compulsions than education policy.
Even after the spate of anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s and 1970s in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Kerala was open to the prospect of Hindi becoming the ‘national’ language.
The new campaign revolves around the theme of “acts of kindness” and encourages people to look beyond their differences. It manages to capture the essence of unity in linguistic diversity.
Pinarayi Vijayan once called Vellappally Natesan, the general secretary of SNDP Yogam, Kerala’s Pravin Togadia. Now he is giving his hate speech a free pass.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says bill will be 'well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent'.
Islamabad-based think-tank PICSS's new report says Pakistan saw 'pronounced escalation' in violence last year, with 3,413 conflict-related deaths compared to 1,950 in previous year.
Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.
(Writing in English because the article is in English)
“English is the real official language of India” – funnily I made a similar remark several years ago – “English is the real national language of India.”
Everything in society and polity, including the Constitution itself, privileges English over all our languages. If anyone is responsible for not respecting not just Hindi, but any other Bharatiya language, it is squarely we the people who have shamelessly adopted a foreign language as superior to our own – whether “own” = Hindi, Thamizh, Sanskrit, Bangla, or any other.
Also problematic is how it is stupidly “uncool” to use our own languages. Although nothing is as “cool” as English in popular perception, interestingly Urdu gets a better place here, as it is still considered somewhat “cooler” than the rustic “dehati zaban” – a blanket term used for all Bharatiya languages in Urdu’s geographic proximity.
(Writing in English because the article is in English)
“English is the real official language of India” – funnily I made a similar remark several years ago – “English is the real national language of India.”
Everything in society and polity, including the Constitution itself, privileges English over all our languages. If anyone is responsible for not respecting not just Hindi, but any other Bharatiya language, it is squarely we the people who have shamelessly adopted a foreign language as superior to our own – whether “own” = Hindi, Thamizh, Sanskrit, Bangla, or any other.
Also problematic is how it is stupidly “uncool” to use our own languages. Although nothing is as “cool” as English in popular perception, interestingly Urdu gets a better place here, as it is still considered somewhat “cooler” than the rustic “dehati zaban” – a blanket term used for all Bharatiya languages in Urdu’s geographic proximity.