DC Edit | To resolve interstate rows, don’t stoke linguistic fires
2 years, 3 months ago

DC Edit | To resolve interstate rows, don’t stoke linguistic fires

Deccan Chronicle  

Linguistic states have been one of the ideas that have helped India sustain itself this far. Like secularism, it ensured that the primary unit of the republic is the citizen, with her every cultural mooring, language being a prominent one, protected constitutionally and insulated from dominance of others. In short, language has a dialectical character about it: On the one hand, it remains one of the primary repositories of a people’s culture, knowledge and the progress they have achieved, and, hence, remains an essential and unalienable feature of it while, on the other, it retains a multi-layered, syncretic structure that closely interacts with others. It is in this background that one must see Union home minister Amit Shah’s advice to the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Karnataka, the two states that have been witnessing violent incidents over the question of 865-odd Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka. It must be ensured that these rights do not remain on paper; they must be implemented on the ground so that the linguistic minorities in a state share the same rights and opportunities to grow as that of the language of the majority.

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History of this topic

Linguistic chauvinism will lead India to a perfect babel
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Linguistic chauvinism will lead India to a perfect babel

New Indian Express  

The resurgence of linguistic nationalism in India poses a grave threat to the country’s pluralist ecosystem. However, these assertions lack historical accuracy, as Hindi only evolved as an independent language in the late 18th century, and linguistic nationalism was never a major credo of India’s freedom struggle. To preserve national unity, India must return to Gandhiji’s vision of an inclusive …

International Mother Language Day
1 month, 1 week ago

International Mother Language Day

The Hindu  

There is a common language that everyone speaks, and then there is your own language — the one that feels like home. Observed on February 21, International Mother Language Day reminds us of the need to preserve linguistic diversity and protect fading languages. India’s linguistic richness: From ancient roots to fading voices Ancient languages: Tamil, one of the oldest surviving …

‘Hindi destroyed local languages, same will happen if…’: Udhayanidhi Stalin sparks controversy again
1 month, 1 week ago

‘Hindi destroyed local languages, same will happen if…’: Udhayanidhi Stalin sparks controversy again

Live Mint  

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin stirred controversy on Wednesday, February 19, by saying that the imposition of Hindi in Tamil Nadu would threaten the survival of the Tamil language, similar to its impact on various North Indian languages, such as Rajasthani, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, and Bihari. He added that nearly 99 per cent of Tamils working in prestigious organisations …

Book Review| “India: A Linguistic Civilization” Highlights Challenges Facing Indian Languages and Decline in Linguistic Diversity
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Book Review| “India: A Linguistic Civilization” Highlights Challenges Facing Indian Languages and Decline in Linguistic Diversity

The Hindu  

Published : Jan 14, 2025 22:13 IST - 7 MINS READ There is no public intellectual in India quite like G.N. In contrast with the recent census figures, Devy in his People’s Survey of India records 780 languages, including those that are spoken by as few as five people. But Devy does identify, in another longlist, languages that successive censuses …

CM Pinarayi Vijayan Warns Against Linguistic Imperialism, Praises Contributions of Expatriate Keralites
4 months, 3 weeks ago

CM Pinarayi Vijayan Warns Against Linguistic Imperialism, Praises Contributions of Expatriate Keralites

The Hindu  

CM Pinarayi Vijayan emphasizes the importance of preserving and nurturing the Malayalam language. He warns against linguistic imperialism and the imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking people. He highlights the contributions of expatriate Keralites and the role of the mother tongue in fostering unity and cultural exchange. Writers Ezgachery Ramachandran and Naduvattom Gopalakrishnan were also recognized for their contributions to …

Hindi has unbreakable relationship with every Indian language, says Amit Shah
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Hindi has unbreakable relationship with every Indian language, says Amit Shah

The Hindu  

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said there is no competition between the official language Hindi and other Indian languages rather they are friends and complement each other. The Home Minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a lot of work has been done to strengthen Hindi and local languages in the last 10 years. Mr. …

Politics and History Behind Karnataka Congress Government’s Job Quota Faux Pas
8 months, 1 week ago

Politics and History Behind Karnataka Congress Government’s Job Quota Faux Pas

News 18  

In the aftermath of severe backlash, the Siddaramaiah government has tossed the bill mandating reservations for Kannadigas in the private sector in cold storage. With this aim, it was impossible to sympathise because it was an attempt to put back a section of the population which by its own special enterprise was going forward.” Visvesvaraya added, “There was a definite …

INDIA, THIS SIDE | Languages not liked by Hindutva ideology suffer existential crisis
1 year, 9 months ago

INDIA, THIS SIDE | Languages not liked by Hindutva ideology suffer existential crisis

The Hindu  

Published : Jun 15, 2023 11:00 IST - 7 MINS READ One’s mother tongue is closest to any person as is one’s mother. Highlights The decade-wise proportion of various language speakers to India’s total population indicate that in 1961 the Bangla speakers were 8.17 per cent of the total population, half a century later, their proportion had decreased to 8.03 …

INDIA, THIS SIDE | Our endangered tongues: The rising threat to Indian languages
2 years ago

INDIA, THIS SIDE | Our endangered tongues: The rising threat to Indian languages

The Hindu  

Published : Mar 23, 2023 10:35 IST - 7 MINS READ Over the last three decades, scientists have come up with mathematical models to predict the life of languages. Obviously, the nations and communities that have learnt to live within a single language, whose economic well-being is not dependent on knowing languages other than their own, whose knowledge systems are …

Giving regional languages their due
2 years, 5 months ago

Giving regional languages their due

Hindustan Times  

The government has decided to set up centres across the country that will prepare textual material and syllabi for each of the 22 Scheduled languages mentioned in the Constitution, this newspaper reported on Monday. The aim of the move, officials explained, was to promote understanding of regional languages and build cultural bridges in various parts of India and not bind …

DC Edit | MPs’ Hindi push attack on India’s diversity, good sense
2 years, 5 months ago

DC Edit | MPs’ Hindi push attack on India’s diversity, good sense

Deccan Chronicle  

The recommendations of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language, headed by Union home minister Amit Shah, on the medium of instruction in higher education institutions and on the replacement of English by local languages in communications should be seen a long-term plan to position one language above all others, and thereby undermine the idea of India which is contingent …

Centre's aggressive push for Hindi as North-East India's 'link language' threatens to expose ethnic fault lines
2 years, 10 months ago

Centre's aggressive push for Hindi as North-East India's 'link language' threatens to expose ethnic fault lines

The Hindu  

North-eastern India is a linguistic mosaic, with over 400 different languages spoken in the region. Dr Banani Chakravarty said a section of the Assamese elite, while asserting Assamese linguistic aspiration, encouraged the “otherisation” of Tibeto-Burman language speakers. “A section of the Assamese power elite assumes that it is essential for Tibeto-Burman language speakers and speakers of ‘minor languages’ to know …

Exploring the ‘Idea of India’: A Multilingual Tapestry of Linguistic Diversity
2 years, 10 months ago

Exploring the ‘Idea of India’: A Multilingual Tapestry of Linguistic Diversity

The Hindu  

There is a raging debate in the country about the ‘idea of India,’ though the phrase is rarely explained by those who use it. It may refer to the many origins of India’s diverse populations and cultures, or may even be used as a synonym for what we think was or is the Indian ‘civilisation’. However, by ‘civilisation’ one implies …

Recognising territorial links to languages essential for Indian federalism
2 years, 10 months ago

Recognising territorial links to languages essential for Indian federalism

The Hindu  

Historically, the symbiotic relationship of a language with the idea of a nation has been marked by much contestation across the world since the nineteenth century. At the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee held on April 8, 2022, Home Minister Amit Shah commented that in all the north-eastern States Hindi would be made compulsory until Class 10. …

Linguistic imperialism: BJP pronouncements on promoting Hindi spark outrage
2 years, 10 months ago

Linguistic imperialism: BJP pronouncements on promoting Hindi spark outrage

The Hindu  

On April 7, while presiding over the 37 th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee, which involved the ratifying of the eleventh volume of the committee’s report, Home Minister Amit Shah made three broad points. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had strongly criticised the move, stating: “Giving priority to Hindi will be construed as a first step …

DC EDIT | India has many languages
2 years, 10 months ago

DC EDIT | India has many languages

Deccan Chronicle  

The exchange between a Kannada and a Hindi film star on the popularity of their language was just another in a series of discussions on national languages that tend to go nowhere because of the complexity and numbers of India. It appears the reach of regional films in today’s high-tech environment is getting longer adding weight to the argument that …

'Regional language most important': Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai supports Kiccha Sudeep's remarks on Hindi – Firstpost
2 years, 11 months ago

'Regional language most important': Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai supports Kiccha Sudeep's remarks on Hindi – Firstpost

Firstpost  

In Bengaluru, members of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a pro-Kannada organisation, were detained by the police during their protest against Ajay Devgn for his Hindi national language statement Hubli: After the Twitter spat between Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep over the Hindi’s status as the national language, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday extended support to …

CISF Officer Asked If I’m Indian For Not Knowing Hindi: Kanimozhi
4 years, 7 months ago

CISF Officer Asked If I’m Indian For Not Knowing Hindi: Kanimozhi

The Quint  

Critics however point out that this is not an issue with an individual officer from a central force, but the larger belief being pushed in India that Hindi is the national language, or that Hindi is more important than other Indian languages. Currently, there are 22 official languages recognised in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution, and it includes …

Minority languages suffer from institutional neglect, biases as Indian govt saves its focus for 'classical languages'
5 years ago

Minority languages suffer from institutional neglect, biases as Indian govt saves its focus for 'classical languages'

Firstpost  

Minority languages suffer from institutional neglect since India’s states, founded on the principle of linguistic nationalism, view these languages with suspicion. Classical Language Funding The question then arises — why do languages that already enjoy state funding, as well as official language status, require Central funds in the first place? With linguistic prestige, all the tag does is to reinforce …

Is BJP playing language tune to woo Tamils?
5 years, 5 months ago

Is BJP playing language tune to woo Tamils?

Deccan Chronicle  

CHENNAI: Some recent developments both within the country and abroad have raised the poser in political circles here whether the BJP and the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi is taking the language route to win the Tamil hearts. Even as saffron parties have opined that the anti-Hindi outbursts by the Dravidian parties attacking the imposition of Hindi by the Centre, …

Hindi card for a Hindu Rashtra
5 years, 5 months ago

Hindi card for a Hindu Rashtra

The Hindu  

THE phrase “one nation, one language” used by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Hindi Diwas in New Delhi on September 14, contradicts the very idea of India as a nation, and its unique linguistic-cultural diversity. The Indian nationalists were aware of the violence and genocidal effects of associating language/race/culture evident in post-War division of Europe, and hence negated the …

Hindi push assault on diversity, India’s spirit
5 years, 6 months ago

Hindi push assault on diversity, India’s spirit

Deccan Chronicle  

On Hindi Divas, when Union home minister and BJP president Amit Shah gave an impassioned speech about the “need of our country to have one language, so that foreign languages don’t find a place”, one wonders why he use ‘languages’ in plural! Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the Jan Sangh, which was the BJP’s predecessor, favoured Hindi but …

Won’t compromise on Kannada: Yediyurappa
5 years, 6 months ago

Won’t compromise on Kannada: Yediyurappa

Live Mint  

Karnataka chief minister B.S.Yediyurappa, on Monday, jumped into the ‘One Nation, One Language’ debate, countering the stand taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party national leadership by stating that Kannada will remain the principal language in the state. Watch: Facing fire, BJP leaders downplay Amit Shah’s one nation, one language push Yediyurappa’s tweet sets the stage for the first clash with …

BJP rules out 'imposing' Hindi in Karnataka amid protests
5 years, 6 months ago

BJP rules out 'imposing' Hindi in Karnataka amid protests

India TV News  

Accusing the Congress of politicising the language issue, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ruled out imposing Hindi in Karnataka, an official said on Monday. Protesting against Union Home Minister Amit Shah's call on Saturday to have Hindi as the common or national language, the opposition Congress and the regional Janata Dal-Secular leaders and cadres staged demonstrations during the weekend in …

The language debate: Speaking in many tongues
5 years, 9 months ago

The language debate: Speaking in many tongues

Live Mint  

In 1948, when the Linguistic Provinces Commission presented its report to the constituent assembly, it was packed with ominous words against organizing states on the rationale of a common language. “Since Indians wish to unite and develop a common culture,” he would write, “it is the bounden duty of all Indians to own up Hindi as their language.” Without this, …

No intention of imposing Hindi, says Centre after Tamil Nadu leaders warn of protests
5 years, 9 months ago

No intention of imposing Hindi, says Centre after Tamil Nadu leaders warn of protests

India Today  

The Central government on Saturday clarified that it has not taken a decision on the draft education policy and has no intention of imposing Hindi or any other language. The Centre's response came amid Tamil Nadu opposition parties' objection to the three-language formula for schools in the state as stated in the draft policy and said that the state will …

Politics of language: Centre promoting Hindi in South, Northeast India smacks of parochialism
8 years, 9 months ago

Politics of language: Centre promoting Hindi in South, Northeast India smacks of parochialism

Firstpost  

When a national government bats for Hindi, and not 22 other languages that are also deemed official, it smacks of parochialism. In the same breath, probably to pre-empt a possible backlash, he also said that the idea was not to “impose Hindi, but to inspire to voluntarily adopt Hindi for larger interest of administration and ease of governance.” No problem …

Efforts on to develop all official languages: Rajnath Singh
10 years, 8 months ago

Efforts on to develop all official languages: Rajnath Singh

India TV News  

New Delhi: All efforts will be made to encourage national language and the government directs various departments from time to time to enhance use of Hindi, the Lok Sabha was informed today. Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there is no reason for the government not to encourage the use of Hindi in official work and it is making efforts to …

Treat all languages equally, save linguistic diversity
10 years, 9 months ago

Treat all languages equally, save linguistic diversity

Firstpost  

All languages in this country should be treated as equal and state government should get the freedom to decide in what language they want to interact with central government instead of limiting option to just two languages. By Kanva While Modi is free to talk in whatever language he wishes to, at the same time his government should ensure that …

Nehru and linguistic States
22 years, 7 months ago

Nehru and linguistic States

The Hindu  

Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Second Series, Vol. In any other democracy, the papers of that momentous phase in India's history, the redrawing of State boundaries on linguistic lines, would have been thrown open to the public after, say, 30 years. Krishna Menon's views are set out by the editors: "Asserting that the agitation for a Malayalam-speaking State was a …

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