In Many Tongues

The Three-Language Formula, in its original form, was designed to promote multilingualism and foster national integration. The policy recommended that students in Hindi-speaking states learn Hindi, English, and a modern Indian language from the South. Conversely, students in non-Hindi-speaking states would learn their regional language, Hindi, and English. The idea was to ensure that no part of India remained alien to another and that a certain degree of inter-regional linguistic empathy and cross-cultural literacy would evolve

- AMAL CHANDRA The writer is an author, political analyst, and columnist

India's linguistic and cultural plurality is at the heart of its civilizational ethos. It is one of the few nations in the world where the Constitution itself recognizes 22 official languages in the Eighth Schedule, while thousands of other languages and dialects are spoken across its length and breadth. This plurality has not only coexisted with national unity but has nourished it, weaving a complex and rich identity. In such a milieu, language is more than just a tool of communication; it is a bearer of culture, memory, history, and imagination.

The role of language policy, therefore, becomes critical – not merely as a technical or administrative matter but as one with profound socio-political consequences. It is within this context that the Three-Language Formula, first introduced in the National Policy on Education in 1968, deserves a serious and renewed endorsement. At a time when attempts are being made to prioritize Hindi in national and international forums, often at the cost of other languages, a reassertion of the three-language model is essential for preserving India's democratic fabric and inclusive vision of nationhood.

The Three-Language Formula, in its original form, was designed to promote multilingualism and foster national integration. The policy recommended that students in Hindi-speaking states learn Hindi, English, and a modern Indian language from the South. Conversely, students in non-Hindi-speaking states would learn their regional language, Hindi, and English. The idea was to ensure that no part of India remained alien to another and that a certain degree of inter-regional linguistic empathy and cross-cultural literacy would evolve. The formula was not just pedagogical but profoundly political: it sought to strike a balance between unity and diversity, between the need for a link language and the necessity of safeguarding linguistic pride and regional identity.