Satya Sivaraman, a writer based in Bolpur, Santiniketan, says all languages are sacred as long as they are not used as tools of domination. His views
The claim that Hindi is a ‘national’ language is one such prejudice born over a century ago in parts of northern India by people who mistakenly assumed that they and their preferences constitute the entire ‘nation’. The debate may be an old one but it keeps flaring up because there is a relentless and vicious attempt by some in India to force their prejudices about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable down the throat of all their other fellow citizens.
There are some influential people who believe that their language, food habits, forms of worship, concepts of morality, sartorial tastes are superior to that of others and should be imposed on everyone else. The idea of making Hindi into a national language, at its core, is driven by another form of ‘cultural imperialism’ – which is the first step towards full-fledged imperialism in all its other forms.
This is true not just in the context of Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, but also in other parts of the country. Hindi imposition has been most successful and destructive in northern India itself. What southern India is saying forcefully through the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu is that they will not accept any attempt at obliteration of their identity or culture by anyone.
Hindi is a fledgling language with a history of just over 100 years in parts of UP, MP, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Bihar. In these very states there are a dozen-plus other languages like Urdu, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Bundelkhandi etc, that have flourished for centuries, produced great literature and are still spoken by millions. Awadhi was the language of Tulsidas in his epic, Ramcharit Manas, Kabir’s dohas were composed in Bhojpuri, Amir Khusro’s poetry was in Braj Bhasha.
And here we are not even touching upon the various Adivasi languages like Santhali, Munda, Oraon, Bhili, Kosili or Gondi which are practiced by so many people. None of these languages has State support – all the resources go to Hindi. The deliberate neglect of other living languages is like an extension of the caste system.
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The kind of Hindi that is pushed by the government is deeply monochromatic, Sanskritised and puritanical version of Hindustani which is a colourful, living mix of vocabulary and expressions that take freely from dozens of sources. One of the reasons why Bollywood movies have been popular historically across India is that they have never used the ‘official Hindi’ (at least till the 1990s) and preferred Hindustani – which has a good mix of Urdu, apart from Braj, Bhojpuri and so on.
Without mincing words let me say that ‘official Hindi is a Brahmanical, upper caste creation. Whether it was created to continue caste domination or not I do not know, but it certainly has become an instrument of upper caste hegemony. Ordinary people in northern India itself struggle to use this very ‘savarna’ tongue, and are made to feel that their own languages are somehow inferior.
The development of any language is closely linked to the development of the people who speak that language. Historically, over the last couple of centuries, states like Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu have seen a lot of reform in the context of class, caste or gender oppression. They have a greater level of empowerment of the marginalised, than in central/northern India, which is still steeped in feudal traditions. That is why languages from these states have become vehicles for the cinematic or literary expression of the feelings and thoughts of the people – instead of being the privilege of a tiny minority.
If Hindi has to really develop, a major social and political revolution will be required to make the so-called ‘Hindi belt’ far more equitable, humane and democratic. The greatness of a language is directly linked to the greatness of the society it is situated in, and the quality of people who wield it. The tongue cannot flourish in isolation when the rest of the body is deeply unwell.
It is not only language that can become a tool for division; in India, religion, cuisine, dress, gender, love, cinema and literature are being used for polarisation. The problem is with an overall political ecosystem where it has become routine to stoke hatred and appeal to the lowest denominator in order to achieve power. This race to the bottom going on in India (and in other parts of the world) has destroyed trust, generosity, compassion, beauty and wonder that was integral to our lives a few decades ago.
All languages are sacred – including Hindi – as long as they are not used as tools of domination or division. That is why languages are called ‘mother tongues’ – because they are as precious as one’s mother.
The problem begins when one person’s mother becomes another person’s mother-in-law – which is what Hindi is trying to ‘become’ to all other languages. That will be resisted by all self-respecting Indians who do not see Hindi as their ‘mother’ – at best only as a neighbourhood ‘aunty’ – and certainly not as their ‘mom-in-law’!