BJP president Rajnath Singh made headlines last week when he had said at a function in New Delhi that the use of English in India had resulted in the loss of “language and culture” as hardly anyone speaks in Sanskrit now. His comment provoked widespread criticism, and the rival Congress did not miss the chance to mock him. But, when he reached the US this week, he was forced to speak the language he hates.When he spoke in English at a conference on Afghanistan in the US, an Amul butter advertisement in newspapers was quick to respond with a punch-line in Hindi: “English Hamaari Sanskriti Ka Hissa Hai (English is a part of our culture).” The Hindutva leaders in the cow-belt of India have often tried their best to deprecate English as the main communicating language in India, and tried their best to impose Hindi on everyone. Even the politics of adoption of Hindi as the national language of India kept the country divided for several decades.
The south Indian states, especially Tamil Nadu, never liked the imposition of Hindi on them by the post-independence era Congress leaders. Even after 66 years of India’s independence, the Tamils and Malayalis don’t take pleasure in speaking the national language. Same is the case with the people in the non-Aryan tribals states in northeast India.
Even after the terrestrial invasion of Hindi in the region by the satellite channels, the tribals in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and even in Manipur are still not comfortable with the national language. Why will someone in the northeast be forced to communicate in Hindi when the UN grants the right to everyone to speak in his or hers’ mother tongue?
Almost 13 years ago, Rajnath Singh’s preferred leader to be NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi was caught on the wrong foot at Shillong over Hindi language, and was literally battered by tribal journalists. Modi had come to the Scotland of East to attend BJYM’s National Executive Committee Meeting. And, when he had started to address a press conference, delayed by over four hours, in Hindi, agitated journalists caught him by his horns, and gave him a dressing down.
A tribal lady journalist was the first one to react: “Who do you think you are? You have come four hours late to address the media, and you want to speak in Hindi?” Soon, the other Khasi journalists shouted at him, and the press conference came to a grinding halt.
Flabbergasted, Modi did not know how to handle the situation. Taking a big pause, he started to address the press in English. Fortunately, he was not the Chief Minister of vibrant Gujarat then, was a BJP MP, and did not enjoy the privilege of NSG commandos guarding him. But, it was one such incident, which Modi will probably not forget in his lifetime.
Political leaders should always try to understand that India is a big nation, and dynamics of politics everywhere, is not the same. And imposing anything, and especially language, can be dangerous for them.
