The greatness that India is with one of the most diverse of cultures united as a country often has to endure the many facets of diverse cultures coming into direct collision that at times lead to strife and even violence. The fear of losing one’s identity was manifested when the anti Hindi agitations started in the Tamil speaking region of South India since pre-Independence times. It started as protest against the order that made compulsory teaching of Hindi in the schools of the then Madras Presidency. The fear of imposition of north Indian cultures in Tamil Nadu have been quite strong that the anti-Hindi feeling still exists at present.
After Independence, it was not only the then state of Madras but all the states of south India along with the none Hindi speakers like Assamese, Oriya, Marathi, Bengalis also were against removing English as an official language of the country. Part XVII of the constitution had made only Hindi to be used as the official language of the Union when the Constitution was adopted in 1950 with a timeframe of fifteen years for its implementation. As the protest against removal of English became bigger the parliament had to come up with the Official Languages Act of 1963 which gave the provision that English may be used along with Hindi as the official language. However, it was still received with criticism by some since the word “may... use English” can be easily considered as “may not... use English”. It was only in the amendment to the Act in 1967 that the present bilingual system of Hindi and English was established for an indefinite period.
Even after the amendment of 1967, Tamil Nadu still witnessed anti Hindi protests and agitations time and again. In some cases it turned violent and lives were also lost in the process. As a result, Tamil Nadu at present strictly have a two language policy of just English and Tamil. However the anti Hindi issue still takes up a big part of the political theatre in the state whenever the centre comes up with schemes to promote the language. In 2014, the MDMK walked out of the NDA alliance with its leader stating that one of the reasons was that the BJP led alliance was trying to impose the culture of the North on Tamil Nadu. Even the reaction to the ban on the bull taming sport of Jallikattu by the Supreme Court was on expected lines. As stated by many commentators it was not just the love for the sport per se but the imposition of someone’s ideal and the feeling of threat of losing the Tamil identity was more prominent. Whether this approach of the people of Tamils Nadu is advantageous or not is still debated and too early to give a verdict.
Coming to the Nagas, though incomparable the Nagas in majority are constantly in fear of being assimilated to the rest of the country on one hand but want growth and development like the rest of India. As mentioned in this same column earlier, Nagas still have not achieved the feeling of permanence in the state of Nagaland and an uncertainty always looms ahead. The current tussle between the government and the tribal societies on the conduct of the Municipal Elections is one such example. The need to develop the urban areas is pertinent but the danger of losing the tribal identity starting in the urban areas also is imminent unless there are more debates and consultations. However, in spite of the uncertainty, Nagas at present lack leaders to show the people the roadmap ahead.
