Only 25 pc in India claim Hindi is their mother tongue

[Indrani]

What I am hearing from the Tamil leaders today suggests that they are more concerned about the status English than Tamil.

Consider those Tamil leaders the equivalent of Lutyens' Delhi members.

 

[gubbi]

The class war is between Bharat and India. Modi's elevation itself was a shocker for the Brown Sahibs because they could not digest the fact that the new PM is not one of them. Now they are fearing loosing their social standing and their proximity to the power centres.

What!!!?

And I I repeat it is better for the government to converse over the social media in Hindi which is understood by at least 50% of India's population than in English which is understood by less than 5%. It will be even better if more Indian languages are included. And no, English is is not an Indian language.

I again suggest you read, if you know to that is, the entire Act of 1963. To simplify matters for you, the act emphasizes that English will be the de facto official language for the GoI.
The Act was written in English, and so was the Constitution of India. So pray tell me, why did the Constituent Assembly draft our Constitution in English (with a Hindi translation), if English was not a national language?

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

It is not actually that simple, you should have seen today's news debates in English news channels where some people were desperately trying to promote Hindi as "One nation one language" and "Hindi means Indian culture" kind of stuffs.

Some ignorant people in the North could have that opinion. That does not mean that it is the mainstream opinion and certainly it isn't the government's stand. Some idiots opinion can't count as imposition of a language on an entire ethnicity of millions of people.

As far as opinions are concerned , you should how Sriram has spoken of Hindi and North Indians in this thread.

 

[Indrani]

Exactly Chacha nehru dide 50 years ago. But there are plenty Tamil members here who I have seen saying over the years that North Indians are imposing their language on them . Wonder where that comes from.

Nah there is a comprehension problem here. They are protesting about the feeble attempts at imposition, sort of nipping the problem at bud.

 

[SledgeHammer]

It is 2014, not 1963. A lot has changed since then. Reducing the usage of English by the Union government will have significant significant side effects, one of them which will become immediately visible is that the Lutyen's Club members will become jobless. English is a language of elites in India, this is not a language war, but a class war.

Languages of subcontinent are not at war but there is nothing wrong in raising uncomfortable questions and debating them, this is a good practice in any democracy.

English is not an Indian language.

English is now a global language and it is needed if one wants to do anything more than running a local kirana shop, I don't think I really need to elaborate on the importance of English in today's world.

Btw, those ministers who intend to use Hindi on social media will still need to type the website URL in English!!

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

I already replied to you on this reasoning. The opposition is not about any current ongoing imposition, but about an attempt at imposition. Even Tamils are sound minded enough to see that there is no imposition of Hindi in their state.

Well then the Tamils on this forum aren't so sound minded. The ones I personally know certainly are. Btw, where is the "attempt" of imposition also ? Again don't quote some Hindi speaking individuals. That won't count. Show me something concrete from a government or authority.

Nah there is a comprehension problem here. They are protesting about the feeble attempts at imposition, sort of nipping the problem at bud.

It's an unnecessary controversy that inflames passions and is not good for the country. There is no attempt of imposition. It was a governmental "advisory" , not diktat, which they have made clear was meant for Hindi speaking states.

 

[amitkriit]

What!!!?

I again suggest you read, if you know to that is, the entire Act of 1963. To simplify matters for you, the act emphasizes that English will be the de facto official language for the GoI.
The Act was written in English, and so was the Constitution of India. So pray tell me, why did the Constituent Assembly draft our Constitution in English (with a Hindi translation), if English was not a national language?

Like I said, a lot has changed since 1963 and that is why I did not even bother to read that stuff. Hindi has been adopted as a symbol of India's fight against the remnants of the British empire (includes the Brown Sahibs). Modi seldom spoke in Hindi in public while he was the CM of Gujarat, all his old election speeches are in Gujarati. He adopted Hindi as an useful tool to upset the old power and social equations in India.

Will his decision of conversing with the world leaders in Hindi be seen as "imposing Hindi" or will it be seen as an attempt towards instilling some self-confidence back into the people of Bharat who are being treated as the "Cattle Class" by the Indians.

 

[Indrani]

Well then the Tamils on this forum aren't so sound minded. The ones I personally know certainly are. Btw, where is the "attempt" of imposition also ? Again don't quote some Hindi speaking individuals. That won't count. Show me something concrete from a government or authority.

The misguided circular sent by the center asking govt staff to communicate in Hindi was one such "imposition." It would have been de facto imposition.

 

[amitkriit]

English is now a global language and it is needed if one wants to do anything more than running a local kirana shop, I don't think I really need to elaborate on the importance of English in today's world.

Btw, those ministers who intend to use Hindi on social media will still need to type the website URL in English!!

Majority of Indian businesses are local.

The misguided circular sent by the center asking govt staff to communicate in Hindi was one such "imposition." It would have been de facto imposition.

Advisory is the correct term.

 

[Indrani]

As far as opinions are concerned , you should how Sriram has spoken of Hindi and North Indians in this thread.

Much of his language and argument was tongue in cheek.

 

[gubbi]

Like I said, a lot has changed since 1963 and that is why I did not even bother to read that stuff.

Enuff said! I didnt bother to read the rest of your ignorant rant after this.
Good bye and good day to you sir.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

Much of his language and argument was tongue in cheek.

If you consider him calling Hindi an inferior language to Tamil and calling his Northern compatriots 'slaves of Central Asian Turks' as acceptable in any way, then please end this discussion right here.

 

[Indrani]

It's an unnecessary controversy that inflames passions and is not good for the country. There is no attempt of imposition. It was a governmental "advisory" , not diktat, which they have made clear was meant for Hindi speaking states.

Blame the media which fanned it. Tamils picked up on the issue rather late. Well the advisory was not very wise and clear at the onset. It needed another advisory to explain the first advice.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

Blame the media which fanned it. Tamils picked up on the issue rather late. Well the advisory was not very wise and clear at the onset. It needed another advisory to explain the first advice.

It was not required I agree. I am just ticked off by the attitude of some Tamil members here who denigrate North Indians on this forum without any provocation as happened in this thread, of course much to the glee of Pakistanis. I have had my experiences in the last 4 years as a member.

 

[Indrani]

Like I said, a lot has changed since 1963 and that is why I did not even bother to read that stuff. Hindi has been adopted as a symbol of India's fight against the remnants of the British empire (includes the Brown Sahibs). Modi seldom spoke in Hindi in public while he was the CM of Gujarat, all his old election speeches are in Gujarati. He adopted Hindi as an useful tool to upset the old power and social equations in India.
Will his decision of conversing with the world leaders in Hindi be seen as "imposing Hindi" or will it be seen as an attempt towards instilling some self-confidence back into the people of Bharat who are being treated as the "Cattle Class" by the Indians.

This is a different argument. No one ever objected to Modi speaking in Hindi. The problem is not even with speaking English, but the attitude of some Indians in the Elite circle of Delhi. Otherwise, even English speaking people in rest of India are quite humble people.