HINDI vs ENGLISH – By Late Shri Abani Mukherjee, M.A.
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Hindi English controversy has assumed a proportion if not curbed in time is bound to cause serious disaster to the integrity of the country. It should be remembered that the real conflict is not one of language as Rajaji says "Languages do not quarrel........ It is the ambition of Hindi speaking leaders their own, and that of the Hindi speaking men in lower tier." He may not be always edifying. But his statement cannot be, utterly dismissed as non-sense. No one can deny that the root cause of the language conflict which has been precipitated almost into a war between North and South is deeper. Monstrous shallowness is at the bottom. Otherwise after 18 years of Independence there would have been very little or no controversy at all.
Most of the people in India still think in terms of themselves first and then in terms of the country. Where as in foreign countries people first think in terms of the country and then in terms of themselves. That is why never, the controversy over language can take an agitation into a frenzied pitch of violence and disorder. Never the people in numbers are killed in firing for such an issue or they immolate themselves. But the point is different in this country and the progress is retraced at every step. The caravan movement of the progress cannot be accelerated unless thinking in this country changes from personal to National first. It is a psychological affair and it will take time to bring about this metamorphosis. But before this desirable is feasible all attempts should be made by patriots to crown Nehru's effort with success.
Pandit Nehru was a great balanced statesman and could understand the approaching storm. That flaring up of passion that enables a man to see the whole was with him and that is why he categorically asserted that English should continue as Link language till the Non-Hindi people themselves agree to switch-over to it.
Nehru's memorials are set up everywhere. All progress is linked up with his name but when we are asked to follow his assurance we fall short of it. Gulf between practice and precept is in-born in use and is widening every day. Otherwise the very people who fanatically sponsor Hindi's case educate their children and grand-children in English schools and take pride in their fluent speaking of the same. Acharya J.B, Kripalani in Lok Sabha has rightly said ''English comes to our children with the milk of their mothers. They do not say Amma or Baba but Mummy and Papa". He further observed "This speaking love is not only for the language but also for the English men. We dress eat and laugh, even our ladies giggle like Eng-lish." Pandit Nehru understood this because he was made of different mettle. Practice and Precept were one with him Balance was the Keystone round which his whole personality revolved. He never was carried away by one way traffic of emotion. Reason and emotion blended in him perfectly. He knew English rooted for 200 years in this country must take enough time to be driven out. In the discussion over the issue in the year 1950 he pleaded 25 years for English, Sardar Patel 10 years, ultimately it rested on 15 years. Apart from the balance in his character he knew the nature of the Indian people well, acting on it the switch over to Hindi he rested on the wish of the Non-Hindi speaking people. What a mag-nanimity! And how tragically Hindi-ites fall short of it.
Sri Prakash, a close friend of Nehru is partially right when he says "Hindi will not be accepted by non-Hindi speaking people even for official purpose because of common human psychology. We cannot forget that jealousy is an overpowering emotion of the mind. It persists in the best of us even when other evils are cast off: while everyone might have submitted to English which was foreign to all and was the language of the foreign rulers no one is going to accept a sister language as his own. This argument is net unconvincing in the present Indian character context, when sentiment, passion and prejudice rule. Such medievalism one day ruled the foreigners also. They are free from it now. The bright sun shine of reason will one day free us also.
Pandit Nehru, a man of vision could understand this which Sri Prakash could not and abstained himself from making any absolute statement. He simply postponed the issue for future when Winter of passion swept away spring of reason will come and there will be no trouble in installing Hindi as a paramount National Language. What he, an acclaimed leader of India understood and advocated the Hindi-ites do not like to do so although they always express they are following him. They bring two main arguments in their armory to demolish the citadel of English in India.
1. Constitutional obligation.
2. Non-Indian character of the language.
As regards the first it may be said that Hindi's right as the only language among the 14 named in the Eight Schedule capable of Link language is undeniable. Father of the Nation Gandhiji endorsed to it. Pandit Nehru followed it and it was included in the Article 17 of the Constitution. But the Hindi-ites in their over enthusiasm for language overlook the conflict behind the issue. Dr. Ambedkar in his book 'Thoughts in linguistic states' has said 'There is no article which proved more controversial than, the article which deals with question, (language) No article produced more opposition. No article more heat.
After prolonged discussion when the question was put the vote were 77 against 77. The tie could not be resolved. After a long time when the question was put to meeting once more the result was 77 against 78 for Hindi. Hindi won its place as a National language by one vote. "It is actually the casting vote which decided the issue. Normally the casting vote ought to have been for the status-quo. This Hindi-its should know that the case for Hindi is not very strong in the Constitutional obligation is no obligation at all when 17 amendments have already taken place in the constitution in a period of 18 years.
Secondly as regards the Non-Indian character of the language, it may be said that they are perfectly right. English is certainly Non-Indian and any amount of arguments in favour of proving it as Indian is baseless. Knowledge may not have sex, race, nationality but language certainly has. And Hindi in this respect stands far superior as a claimant for National Language. But what the Hindi-ites miss here is the utilitarian point of view. They should remember that life is more important than sentiment. Country is more important than langu-age. In the face of tooth and nail opposition from the South and some parts of the North the desire to install it immediately is sheer obstinacy. They should leave it to time. In the meantime they should allow co-existence of both the languages. They should allay the fears of the Non-Hindi people of being dominated by Hindi speaking majority. It is this fear of Hindu domination which created Pakistan. Otherwise in the beginning Mr. Jinnah was called 'The ambassador of Hindu Muslim unity' by Mrs. Sarojini Naidu. It is thus for few Hindu fanatics combined with other factors Pakistan was created and if India is further Balkanized over the language issue the blame will certainly fall on those over-zealous and fanatic Hindi-speaking people.
Wisdom dictates co-existence in the present moment when country is seething with discontent. China armed with Nuclear strength is poised for second attack. Prices are galloping high. Population is increasing at enormous speed. Myriad of vital issues are staring at us for solution. We should take them up first. Meanwhile Hindi-ites have no right to cry for imposition of Hindi or non-Hindi speaking people. Do they not understand that their over-enthusiasm does more dis-service to the cause of Hindi? If they really love the country more than the language the first duty incumbent on them is to weed out the poverty of the language, eradicate the disadvantage in its capable of being an International language. It is to be taken out from the hands of the Pandits who have made a fun and caricature of it. They have turned it into a mono-strosity.
For example-Engine has become vos-ros, Tis Kant-longuti, Telephone Door-bhash; named only are few; but such aberrations are masquerading in numbers in the name of national language. It is this orthodoxism that has forced a critic to condemn it as a 'Bazzar language’. To counter-act this criticism and to take it in international level following must be observed.
1. Flexibility, simplicity and adaptability should be the criterion on which the National language is to be based.
2. It should freely absorb English words.
3. Development of the language should not be trusted on the Fanatic Pandits but to learned men of Strong common sense.
4. Roman alphabets may be used for Devanagri for the time being.
5. Children of leaders, and men of high position, should be taught in Hindi Schools and not in convents.
6. As an interim gap people should be tri-lingual mother-tongue, Hindi and English.
7. Hindi-ites must show tolerance and prudence so long it is not accepted by Non-Hindi speaking people remembering frenzy in Tamil land is not DMK affair but a spontaneous upsurge which may divide the country into North and South.
8. Nehru's assurance should be given a legal base to allay the fears of the people of the South.
9. Binobha Bhave's suggestion of three points formula :
(i) Violence should be eschewed.
(ii) Hindi not to be imposed on Non-Hindi speaking people.
(iii) English not to be imposed on Hindi speaking people be accepted in Toto.
10. Rajaji's one way views of discrediting Hindi may not be consulted but his views on English must not be discarded. They are always sane, thought provoking and sincere. It is admitted he has no right to discredit Hindi when he is not well versed with the language. At the most, he can express his own likes and dislikes. But if he has no right to condemn Hindi language he has every right to speak in favour of English in National context, as his knowledge of the language and Nation stands unchallenged.
The points mentioned above, if observed there will be no necessity to repeal Hindi from the Constitution as advocated by some fanatics, nor will rise the unashamed selfishness of the Hindi-ites to impose it immediately. A balance will be struck. Confusion and chaos will end. Co-existence will reign for the time. And one fine morning the Hindi-lovers will find a fine attractive noble child, is born ready to be embraced by all. But if due time is not given for the birth abortion will take place bringing out a monster creating chaos and confusion everywhere.
Time has come when people must come out of the damnable rut of sloppy thinking and slipshod method of doing things. They must think through common sense and not through neurotic emotion.
Most of the people in India still think in terms of themselves first and then in terms of the country. Where as in foreign countries people first think in terms of the country and then in terms of themselves. That is why never, the controversy over language can take an agitation into a frenzied pitch of violence and disorder. Never the people in numbers are killed in firing for such an issue or they immolate themselves. But the point is different in this country and the progress is retraced at every step. The caravan movement of the progress cannot be accelerated unless thinking in this country changes from personal to National first. It is a psychological affair and it will take time to bring about this metamorphosis. But before this desirable is feasible all attempts should be made by patriots to crown Nehru's effort with success.
Pandit Nehru was a great balanced statesman and could understand the approaching storm. That flaring up of passion that enables a man to see the whole was with him and that is why he categorically asserted that English should continue as Link language till the Non-Hindi people themselves agree to switch-over to it.
Nehru's memorials are set up everywhere. All progress is linked up with his name but when we are asked to follow his assurance we fall short of it. Gulf between practice and precept is in-born in use and is widening every day. Otherwise the very people who fanatically sponsor Hindi's case educate their children and grand-children in English schools and take pride in their fluent speaking of the same. Acharya J.B, Kripalani in Lok Sabha has rightly said ''English comes to our children with the milk of their mothers. They do not say Amma or Baba but Mummy and Papa". He further observed "This speaking love is not only for the language but also for the English men. We dress eat and laugh, even our ladies giggle like Eng-lish." Pandit Nehru understood this because he was made of different mettle. Practice and Precept were one with him Balance was the Keystone round which his whole personality revolved. He never was carried away by one way traffic of emotion. Reason and emotion blended in him perfectly. He knew English rooted for 200 years in this country must take enough time to be driven out. In the discussion over the issue in the year 1950 he pleaded 25 years for English, Sardar Patel 10 years, ultimately it rested on 15 years. Apart from the balance in his character he knew the nature of the Indian people well, acting on it the switch over to Hindi he rested on the wish of the Non-Hindi speaking people. What a mag-nanimity! And how tragically Hindi-ites fall short of it.
Sri Prakash, a close friend of Nehru is partially right when he says "Hindi will not be accepted by non-Hindi speaking people even for official purpose because of common human psychology. We cannot forget that jealousy is an overpowering emotion of the mind. It persists in the best of us even when other evils are cast off: while everyone might have submitted to English which was foreign to all and was the language of the foreign rulers no one is going to accept a sister language as his own. This argument is net unconvincing in the present Indian character context, when sentiment, passion and prejudice rule. Such medievalism one day ruled the foreigners also. They are free from it now. The bright sun shine of reason will one day free us also.
Pandit Nehru, a man of vision could understand this which Sri Prakash could not and abstained himself from making any absolute statement. He simply postponed the issue for future when Winter of passion swept away spring of reason will come and there will be no trouble in installing Hindi as a paramount National Language. What he, an acclaimed leader of India understood and advocated the Hindi-ites do not like to do so although they always express they are following him. They bring two main arguments in their armory to demolish the citadel of English in India.
1. Constitutional obligation.
2. Non-Indian character of the language.
As regards the first it may be said that Hindi's right as the only language among the 14 named in the Eight Schedule capable of Link language is undeniable. Father of the Nation Gandhiji endorsed to it. Pandit Nehru followed it and it was included in the Article 17 of the Constitution. But the Hindi-ites in their over enthusiasm for language overlook the conflict behind the issue. Dr. Ambedkar in his book 'Thoughts in linguistic states' has said 'There is no article which proved more controversial than, the article which deals with question, (language) No article produced more opposition. No article more heat.
After prolonged discussion when the question was put the vote were 77 against 77. The tie could not be resolved. After a long time when the question was put to meeting once more the result was 77 against 78 for Hindi. Hindi won its place as a National language by one vote. "It is actually the casting vote which decided the issue. Normally the casting vote ought to have been for the status-quo. This Hindi-its should know that the case for Hindi is not very strong in the Constitutional obligation is no obligation at all when 17 amendments have already taken place in the constitution in a period of 18 years.
Secondly as regards the Non-Indian character of the language, it may be said that they are perfectly right. English is certainly Non-Indian and any amount of arguments in favour of proving it as Indian is baseless. Knowledge may not have sex, race, nationality but language certainly has. And Hindi in this respect stands far superior as a claimant for National Language. But what the Hindi-ites miss here is the utilitarian point of view. They should remember that life is more important than sentiment. Country is more important than langu-age. In the face of tooth and nail opposition from the South and some parts of the North the desire to install it immediately is sheer obstinacy. They should leave it to time. In the meantime they should allow co-existence of both the languages. They should allay the fears of the Non-Hindi people of being dominated by Hindi speaking majority. It is this fear of Hindu domination which created Pakistan. Otherwise in the beginning Mr. Jinnah was called 'The ambassador of Hindu Muslim unity' by Mrs. Sarojini Naidu. It is thus for few Hindu fanatics combined with other factors Pakistan was created and if India is further Balkanized over the language issue the blame will certainly fall on those over-zealous and fanatic Hindi-speaking people.
Wisdom dictates co-existence in the present moment when country is seething with discontent. China armed with Nuclear strength is poised for second attack. Prices are galloping high. Population is increasing at enormous speed. Myriad of vital issues are staring at us for solution. We should take them up first. Meanwhile Hindi-ites have no right to cry for imposition of Hindi or non-Hindi speaking people. Do they not understand that their over-enthusiasm does more dis-service to the cause of Hindi? If they really love the country more than the language the first duty incumbent on them is to weed out the poverty of the language, eradicate the disadvantage in its capable of being an International language. It is to be taken out from the hands of the Pandits who have made a fun and caricature of it. They have turned it into a mono-strosity.
For example-Engine has become vos-ros, Tis Kant-longuti, Telephone Door-bhash; named only are few; but such aberrations are masquerading in numbers in the name of national language. It is this orthodoxism that has forced a critic to condemn it as a 'Bazzar language’. To counter-act this criticism and to take it in international level following must be observed.
1. Flexibility, simplicity and adaptability should be the criterion on which the National language is to be based.
2. It should freely absorb English words.
3. Development of the language should not be trusted on the Fanatic Pandits but to learned men of Strong common sense.
4. Roman alphabets may be used for Devanagri for the time being.
5. Children of leaders, and men of high position, should be taught in Hindi Schools and not in convents.
6. As an interim gap people should be tri-lingual mother-tongue, Hindi and English.
7. Hindi-ites must show tolerance and prudence so long it is not accepted by Non-Hindi speaking people remembering frenzy in Tamil land is not DMK affair but a spontaneous upsurge which may divide the country into North and South.
8. Nehru's assurance should be given a legal base to allay the fears of the people of the South.
9. Binobha Bhave's suggestion of three points formula :
(i) Violence should be eschewed.
(ii) Hindi not to be imposed on Non-Hindi speaking people.
(iii) English not to be imposed on Hindi speaking people be accepted in Toto.
10. Rajaji's one way views of discrediting Hindi may not be consulted but his views on English must not be discarded. They are always sane, thought provoking and sincere. It is admitted he has no right to discredit Hindi when he is not well versed with the language. At the most, he can express his own likes and dislikes. But if he has no right to condemn Hindi language he has every right to speak in favour of English in National context, as his knowledge of the language and Nation stands unchallenged.
The points mentioned above, if observed there will be no necessity to repeal Hindi from the Constitution as advocated by some fanatics, nor will rise the unashamed selfishness of the Hindi-ites to impose it immediately. A balance will be struck. Confusion and chaos will end. Co-existence will reign for the time. And one fine morning the Hindi-lovers will find a fine attractive noble child, is born ready to be embraced by all. But if due time is not given for the birth abortion will take place bringing out a monster creating chaos and confusion everywhere.
Time has come when people must come out of the damnable rut of sloppy thinking and slipshod method of doing things. They must think through common sense and not through neurotic emotion.
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