Speaking on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, Union Home Minister Amit Shah triggered a political controversy when he said that ‘only Hindi could unite the nation’ as the language reflect the country’s identity. He also expressed that it was a national responsibility to expand and prosper Hindi.
Although the Home Minister also warned that that the promotion of Hindi should not be done at the cost of local languages, regional political parties saw such statement as a threat to ‘Indian integrity and diversity’. With a massive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent general elections, the country has moved towards the majoritarian state. The opposition fears that this kind of majoritarian government can do anything unilaterally without consulting the various stakeholders. Many also gave an example of how the BJP led NDA government unilaterally bifurcated the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories without the proper channel of debate and discussion in the Parliament.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had always urged for three-language formula for India, which is, English, Hindi and the mother tongue (or the Native language). Any attempt to tamper this three-language formula will destroy the integrity of the country. This is in contrast to what Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhai Patel had appealed to the public. Both these tall leaders believed ‘Hindi as the official language’. This is where Amit Shah got the inspiration.
Facts from Census 2011
According to the Census Report 2011, out of the 22 Scheduled languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, Hindi had the highest number of speakers in the country. Although Hindi has many dialects, 43.63 per cent of the population spoke Hindi. Bengalee possessed the second-highest speakers in the country, followed by western and south Indian languages in descending order- Marathi, Telegu and Tamil.
This story is from the October 2019 edition of Northeast Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2019 edition of Northeast Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mayong: The Trivet Of Black Magic
Having grown up watching Harry Potter and Salem Witches, and hearing stories with no possible explanations, visiting Mayong, the hub of “black magic” in Assam, was always at the top of my bucket list.
Why Is The 'Land Of Paradise' Empty?
By the end of the 20th century, Dubai prioritised ending its dependency on oil as it is a non-renewable resource and turned to the tourism sector to diversify its economy.
Clean Your Room And Improve Your Mood
Do you suffer from a bad mood on most occasions? Do you have a sense of irritability most of the time? If yes, then it is time to do some cleaning and arrange your living area.
CENTRE FORMULATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE NORTHEAST AS AGRI EXPORT HUB
To boost the export of horticulture products grown in the northeast, the Centre is now up with a robust strategy to promote locally produced agricultural products to the international markets
HOJAGIRI DANCE: STATE'S MOST ACCLAIMED DANCE FORM
The Reang tribe is one of Tite 21 pastoral tribes in Tripura and among 75 primitive tribes in India. This indigenous tribe is the second largest after the Tripuri community.
SAGA-DAWA- A CLOSE WATCH
Small little monk kids are a little busier today as compared to other ordinary days as they have to prepare for a special puja session just before the day of Saga-Dawa, a triply blessed day.
NAGAS EMERGING IN INDIA'S CREATIVE FIELDS: RIO
A ddressing a gathering at the 2nd North East India Festival in Thailand, Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio said that the festival will help in connecting the region with Thailand and give a further thrust to the Centre's Act East Policy and Thailand's Act West Policy along with other South East Asian countries.
HORTICULTURE BLOOMING IN MIZORAM
Mizoram’s horticulture department has seen tremendous growth during the last decade, with many transformations seen in the form of introducing hybrid seeds with better adaptability and higher yields; as well as in infrastructure developments.
PA SANGMA FELLOWSHIP FOR LEGAL AND POLICY RESEARCH INAUGURATED
Meghalaya Minister K Sangma Chief Conrad recently inaugurated the PA Sangma Fellowship for Legal and Policy Research at Yojana Bhawan.
INFAMOUS OPERATION BLUEBIRD REMEMBERED
Operation Bluebird” called Onae Reh Dah in the local Oinam dialect) of 1987 was a nightmare that occurred in broad daylight, a nightmare that did not occur in dreamland but at Oinam Hill village in the Senapati district of Manipur.
