Shiv Kumar Padha
In India the election agenda of many political parties is not development and welfare of the masses but to resume and capture the power lock stock and barrel by playing language, cast, religious, regional and others which help them achieve their inherent motive to reach the apex of power. The recent row over the Marathi and non Marathi language in Maharashtra, which has resulted into many cases of man handling of the non Marathi speaking people by the bouncers of the Shiv Sena UBT and Raj Thakre group in Mumbai. This has been condemned by every sensible, sensitive and true nationalist in the nook and corner of the country It is for the first time in India the language is being dragged and made tool to disintegrate the nation. Many such attempts have been made in many southern states of the country in the past which had resulted into the chaos and arson with a heavy toll of human lives since independence.
In India the popular saying” Kos- Kos par paani badle, Chaar kos par Vani” reflects the linguistic diversity. It translates to “Every three Kilometers (KOS) , the water changes, and every 12 Kilometers (four kos), the language changes”. This highlight show regional variations in language and even taste of water can occur relatively quickly within the country. This saying is a testament to India’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity where regional variation are prominent features. India’s ” unity in diversity” is an exemplified by its vibrant mix of cultures, religions, languages and traditions co existing harmoniously Despite the regional and social differences a shared sense of Indian identity and language and national pride binds the country together. While many languages and dialects are spoken in India Hindi and English serve as common languages for communication and unity. It is the language, sense of oneness, cultural fusion, linguistic diversity religious harmony, shared national identity, acceptance and tolerance and festivals are the testaments of India’s unity and integrity.
Dr. Sarvopalli Rdhakrishanan former President of India is credited with saying that, ” National integration is not built with mortar and bricks, but rather, it grows in the minds and hearts of the people. He emphasized that true integration is a matter of consciousness and thought not of physical structures or industrial plants. Radhakrishanan highlighted that national integration is fundamentally a matter of shared values, beliefs and collective consciousness. The covetous political parties, In order to gain political mileage and get an edge over their opponents, do not hesitate playing the language , religious or cast card even if it results in fragmenting the integrity and solidarity of the country and loosening the cohesion. These political tactics are so sensitive which prove a biggest blow to the peace and sense of goodwill among the people. Use of language card by the political parties is not new to India. There had been many such incidents in the southern state where the innocent citizens fell prey to the wrath of political parties hell bent destroying the delicate network of co existence and interdependence and belongingness in the society.
Language disputes, particularly over the official status of Hindi, have historically led to many riots and unrest in India, notably in non Hindi speaking regions. These protests, often involving student demonstrations, have sometimes escalated into violence, resulting casualties and state of emergency. After India’s independence, there was a push to adapt Hindi as the sole official language. This was met with resistance from the non Hindi speaking areas especially in the south. From 1937-1940 and again after independence, protests erupted against the imposition of Hindi as compulsory language in schools..
In 1965n when Hindi was declared the official language, riots broke in Madras leading to students protests and clashes with the authorities and the declaration of state of emergency. Before 1965, there were earlier instances of protests against the imposition of Hindi, notably in the Madras presidency during the 1930 and 1940s led by figures like paeriyar. Besides Hindi, other languages related conflicts have occurred, such as the 1991 anti Tamil violence in Karnataka and the 1994 anti Urdu riots in Bangalore highlighting the sensitivity surrounding language in India.
The riots over language in India demonstrate the complex interplay between national identity, regional aspirations, and linguistic diversity. While the immediate crises have been addressed, the underlying tensions continue to surface, making language a persistent factor in India’s social and political landscape.
The language riots highlight the challenge of balancing the desire for national unity with the preservation of linguistic diversity in India.
The way the Shiv Sena UBT and Raj Thackeray manhandled the persons in public over their non speaking Marathi raises many Yaksh Prashanas.
- Why do such incidents happen in Maharashtra and southern states only, that too in the metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai where the people from all the Indian states and from other nations live.
- Why such incidents do not occur in the Hindi speaking states, and why the non Hindi speaking people enjoy social security there. They are never manhandled nor asked to leave these states over trivial matters of languages.
- Have the people from non Hindi speaking southern, eastern and western states ever complained having met such disgracefully treatment in the Hindi speaking state as is meted out to their counter parts in their own non Hindi speaking areas.
- India is a vast and multilingual country where nobody can ever claim having knowledge and mastery over the languages being spoken in the entire country.
It is worthwhile to mention here that due to the language diversity the Jammu ,Kashmir and Ladakh regions are as strange to each other as Indians and Chinese. Same is the case between the Hindi and Non Hindi speaking population living in Hindi speaking areas even if they are aliens to each other in the matters of language and culture, live in peace and harmony with each other. The language is a link between different lingual groups not a reason to fight with each other.