THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY June 27, 1959 The Second Official Language — A Comment Annada Sankar Ray |T is everywhere the rule for inde Hindi in the constituent states of State language and the State, rastra, pendent nations to assert their the Union. Hindi becomes the offi means the national state. independence by expressing them cial language and is described as Departure from What Gandhlji selves through their own national such in the Constitution only at the languages. Where no .such language Union or Federal level. No option Wanted exists an exception may be marie is given. It does not lose its re Nine years have passed and the and a foreign language adopted. gional character, however, even way things are shaping has become India is an independent nation here, for Article 345 is nowhere clearer. Gandhiji wanted the Union and its independence, requires to be superseded. Government to be light and to limit asserted through its own language itself to only three portfolios; De It is a shocking anomaly that a or languages. There is no room for fence. Foreign Affairs and Commu language which has nowhere been an exception on the ground that no nications. The rest he wished' to clearly distinguished from 'regional' such language exists. On the cor: have left to the member states and should he the mandatory 'official trary, the Eighth Schedule of the these were to be organised on lin language of the Union whereas it is Constitution of India enumerates guistic lines. It was against such a not the mandatory 'official' Ian no less than fourteen languages. background that he advocated for guage of any particular State. At least three of them. Sanskrit, use at the Centre a composite lan Hindi and Urdu, are more than Only Two Rivals in 1950 guage to be called Hindi-Hindustani. regional and are, to that extent, In 1950, when the Constitution It was to be composed of simple national, The others are national was adopted, there were only two words drawn from both Hindi and m another sense. Bengali, Marathi rivals in the field: Hindi and Eng Hindustani and he wished it to be and Tamil classics, for instance, lish, The so-called regional lan written in both Devanagari and are- Indian classics and all Indians guages were too numerous and their Persian scripts. It was not to be a regard them as part of their national ambitions were too parochial. No highly Sanskritie language which heritage. A Bengali song, '' Maria one seriously believed that India excluded all Persian and Arabic ganamana1" is the official anthem could afford to have a dozen 'offi affiliations. Both Hindustani and of free India. Scarcely less popular cial' languages at the Union level or the Persian script have since been is the Bengali-Sanskrit song, ''Vande even three like Switzerland. It was dropped by men who at one time Mataram". Both these are .sung enough that Tamil Marathi, Bengali followed his guidance. Neither the everywhere in India. and the other potential rivals of language nor the script they have Hindi were being given a free held chosen would have had his appro English Given No Designation in their home areas. Hindi had only val. With fourteen national languages one powerful antagonist. It was in the Held, each pressing its claims The present position is that we English. National self-respect de to be the official language of the-' have a heavy Federal Centre which manded the choice of an Indian Indian Union, the framers of the administers countless things. There language On the other hand there Constitution could not seriously con is an expanding public sector. As was reasonable apprehension that sider the claims of a. fifteenth. India moves further along the road the identification of the Indian State English. English was, however, re to industrialisation and approaches with Hindi would be just as discri tained for the sake of convenience closer to social ownership and state minatory as its identification with during the fifteen-year transition management of industries the Cen Hindu. The country was full of period. Subsequently its use is per tre, even if it does not take over fanatics who swore by the slogan, mitted for the purposes specified agriculture, will grow progressively "Hind. Hindu, Hindi". The adoption under Article 343(3). English is heavier. The identification of the of a secular policy by the State given preference in matters concern Indian Union with Hindi written In foiled them in one respect: India did ing the Supreme Court, High Courts the Devanagari script will then Ine not become a Hindu State. It was etc under Article 348. It was not, vitably have a crushing effect on essential that the policy adopted in however, given any designation; It the regional languages. Hindi- regard to language should be simi is neither regional, national nor speakers by birth and adoption will lar to that followed in matters of official. As a matter of fact the acquire directly and indirectly an religion. India should not become a word 'national' has nowhere been enormous amount of patronage. Hindi State. used, not even with regard to Hindi. Those whose mother tongue is not Hindi Is, if the Eighth Schedule is There was straight voting on the Hindi will be forced either to neglect read with Article 345. a regional question of Hindi versus English. their own language or suffer in language like the other thirteen. The protagonists of Hindi won by a competition with those whose mother Like, them, it may be adopted as the single vote, Hindi therefore became tongue is Hindi. If, as in China, official language of one or more of the 'official' language of India. The regional administrations are abolish the regional states or, if two or word 'official' is here an eyewash. ed and people moved from one end more states so desire, it may be The sponsors of Hindi were afraid of the country to the other in large adopted for the purpose of inter to give offence and stopped short numbers, they will inevitably lose state communication. There is no of the word 'national'. In Hindi their own languages, Hindi will he thing mandatory about the use of the word used, 'rastrabhasa', means of more practical use to them, THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY June 27, 1959 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY June 27 1959
Enforcing National Unity the Union level. It is not right to Through Hindi Not to be Trifled With consign all but one to lower levels. Thirdly, language is not some The Official Language Commis It is a question of status and dig sion frightened us with the idea of thing to be trifled with. It is eve nity. Hindi-speakers and Bengali- more deeply rooted in the huma enforcing national unity through speakers and Tamil-speakers must Hindi. The result of their recom psyche than religion. Nations bake have exactly the same status every on language are more numerou mendations was the opposite of where. If it is possible to than those based on religion. Com what they intended. Madras order reach the highest positions in the munities have, on occasion, surrend ed extensive Tamilisation. No one Union without knowing any other ered their religious identity, bu could protest as such an order is language but Hindi then it should never the linguistic identity. Whei not inconsistent with the Constitu also be possible to reach them with Nationalism came to India in the tion. As time passes the Union out knowing Hindi. Conversely, if nineteenth century it took three dis- Government will find it more and non-Hindi-speakers must, in their tinct shapes: Hindu Nationalism more difficult to function effectively own interest, learn Hindi or go to Bengali or Maratha Nationalise in the South and Madras will be the wall then Hindi-speakers must, and Indian Nationalism. All three gradually isolated from the rest of in their own interest, likewise be co-existed for a long time and help the country. If other non-Hindi- required to learn Tamil, Telugu etc ed and hindered one another speaking areas follow the Madras or be disqualified for employment "Vande Mataram" was in fact writ- pattern, national unity will be weak under the State. ten for Bengali Hindus and served ened further still, all without con- Hindu Nationalism as well as Ben travening the Constitution, Verily Only One Languages. Secondly, nowhere in the world gali Nationalism, before it was the letter killeth. A preliminary taken over in a modified form by understanding with all concerned do the common people find it possi ble to learn more than one language, Indian Nationalism. Since Inde .should have been reached before any pendence the Indian State has wisely final decision was taken on the their mother tongue. For other languages they do not have the time, refrained from identifying itself 'official language' issue. Parliament with any religion and thereby struck should have been empowered to the energy or the interest. It is a daydream to imagine that the com at the rout of religious nationalism, decide. Left to itself Parliament Hindu, Muslim or Sikh. If, simi might have taken a more realistic mon people of India will ever be literate in two languages and two larly, it ceases to identify itself and less doctrinaire line. To amend with any single language the roots the Constitution a two-thirds majo scripts. Left to themselves people tend to lapse into illiteracy very of linguistic nationalism (nowadays rity is required It may prove diffi called linguism) will be cut. If the cult to obtain one at this stage for quickly even after being taught only one language and one script. The Union sets an example by not iden Congress may not wish to risk losing tifying itself with Hindi the policy simplest Hindi will inevitably remain votes in Hindi-speaking areas and will be appreciated and followed by Greek to the Tamil common man Hindi-speaking Congressmen may the states. Madras will no longer or the Bengali who lives outside dissent in Parliament. Nevertheless, insist exclusively on Tamil, West the city. Bazar Hindi, it is true, it has become necessary for certain Bengal exclusively on Bengali, Bihar may have a certain currency things to be said in the hope that exclusively on Hindi and so forth. throughout India but it's utility is the leaders of the country will take The best way to demonstrate this confined to the bazar. It cannot be the necessary action some day. policy of non-identification is to co- a suitable vehicle for the communi opt at least one other language as First of all, nationalism cannot cation of ideas or emotions. Indian an official language and give it thrive on inequality of opportunity Nationalism should not seek to im equal status. Bombay, for instance, and sacrifice. Under the present pose uniformity through the impo might adopt both Marathi and arrangement the mother tongue of sition of any single language. India's Gujerati, Uttar Pradesh both Hindi some nationals will also be the offi pattern of unity is unity in diversity. and Urdu, Bihar both Hindi and cial language of their motherland. Each language is equally valid and For them it will be enough to know Bengali, West Bengal both Bengali none more valid than the others. and Hindi and so forth. But before one language only; i e, Hindi. The Gandhiji took the trouble to learn this very desirable state of affairs mother tongue of other nationals as many as half a dozen of the can come about it is necessary for will not be the official language of Indian languages. He did his daily national leadership to take the ini- their motherland, They will be exercise in Bengali even on the day forced to learn, not only their of his death. Vinobaji knows even mother tongue, but the official lan more. Public men should be expect guage in addition. Some win thus ed to go to the common man. Why be privileged and others handicap should the common man go to them? ped. This problem has, in Europe, Public servants should be encoura been solved by making language ged to learn as many languages as identical with nationality: one lan they can and suitable inducement guage, one nation. Where this has offered. If a money order is to be not been possible, two or more sent or a licence granted or a ticket languages have been given equal purchased the villager should be status, as in Belgium and Switzer given ungrudging service through land. In India the one language his own language. To him his own one nation theory is obviously un language is the most important in tenable. Ail our languages should, the world and it should be treated therefore, be given equal status at as such by the highest in the land.
889 June 27 1959
tiative, recognise all the fourteen for the mother tongue, for English vice examinations' the seed of a languages of the Schedule as 'offi and for Sanskrit.' In that case tragic situation thirty or forty cial languages' of the Union. The Hindi can come in only as a fourth years hence will be sown. A simi purposes for the use of Hindi should language and in a rudimentary lar conclusion is logically inevita by law be .specified, likewise the form. With such a necessarily ble. purposes for the use of Assamese, meagre knowledge of Hindi no can Suggested Amendment Telugu etc. While none of the didate in a competitive All-India I have therefore come to the con languages will be used for general examination can compete on equal clusion that Article 343(1) should purposes the specific uses of Hindi terms with one whose mother be amended to read: "The official may be more numerous than, say, tongue is Hindi, To make Hindi the languages of the Union shall be the specific uses of Malayalam. The sole medium for such examinations Hindi and the other languages enu same applies to the 'official lan would, therefore, turn it into an merated in the Eighth Schedule.'' guages' of the states. instrument of injustice, Considera As for English, Article 348 has Retention of English tions of language might give the already specified the purposes for Fourthly, it is no chance coinci less deserving preference over the which it is to be used, i e. the dence that India is practically the more deserving. If the alternative Supreme Court, High Courts etc only country in the East which has be that all languages be made me without designating it as either parliamentary democracy, civil eon- diums for All-India competitive national, Indian or official. Appa trot over the military, rule of law examinations, a plurality of stand rently it is a special language and ami an independent judiciary; that ards in the assessment of merit will it is to be used for purposes speci she has an unbroken tradition of result Fourteen sets of answer fied in the Constitution. Article English education for live genera papers examined by fourteen sets of 345 adds more purposes for which tions, ever since Ram Mohun Roy examiners cannot produce a single it is to be used in the states until came to the conclusion that English reliable gradation list. Fourteen the Legislatures have adopted alter was essential for the modernisation separate gradation lists will not re native languages, Article 343 (3) of his country; that the English- duce or eliminate injustice. The empowers Parliament to name still speaking nations are the only ones contrary is more likely. The Par other purposes as and when neces in the world to have escaped any liamentary Committee is said to sary Now it is for the Parliament kind of dictatorship, Nazi, Com have recommended that while All- to say that English shall he the munist or Military. There is an India competitive examinations language exclusively used for the invisible chain of logic behind these should continue to be conducted in purpose of all competitive exami three facts. We derive our resis English an option should he given nations held by the Union Public tance to dictatorship from ideas to candidates who wish to take them Service Commission and other simi and values and disciplines imbibed in Hindi. This means there will be lar authorities, both civil and mili by five generations of scholars and two sets of answer papers examin tary, including those concerned with thinkers and public men, through ed by two sets of examiners. How the public sector. The same provi English. If English is no longer can there be any comparable stand sion should be extended to the studied and used or perfunctorily ards for the assessment of merit? states. In case it is contended that handled our resistance, mental and How can there be a common grada Parliament has no power the Con moral, will diminish as our isola tion list which will set forth the stitution may be amended in order tion from the stream of the liberal position of the candidate as first, to confer this power upon Parlia traditions of England grows great second, third and so on with any ment. Other purposes for which er with time. Let no one take it degree of exactitude? Inevitably English may be used can be speci for granted that national indepen there will be two gradation lists for fied if considered essential. There dence carries with it a guarantee two sets of candidates. The ones is no case for putting English on of civil control over the military or selected to serve their country will a par with Hindi or any other an assurance of the rule of law or be marked for life as English- national language of India. There a charter for parliamentary demo wallahs and Hindi-wallahs. When fore it need not be named in the cracy. Look at Pakistan. Even in the time comes for promotion there Constitution as either the second or a seasoned democracy like France will be rivalry and heart-burning. the fifteenth official language. there is a. set-back to-day. We need Every one of the services will thus Once these proposed steps have more and better grounding in the be emotionally split into two hostile been taken there will be no mean Ideas and values and disciplines camps. Service morale will suffer, ing left in the deadline fixed for the that already distinguishes us as the Two separate gradation lists for the change-over from English to Hindi. leading democracy of the East. Our All-India services will unavoidably For by common consent English education should be so balanced work like two electoral rolls: one may continue without a break for a and eclectic that our children should for Hindus and the other for Mus hundred years or more just as not regard English traditions like lims. In 1909 separate electorates French has continued uninterrupted the rule of law, civil control over were introduced. They were the for nearly nine hundred years in the military and democracy as thin edge of a wedge. Good people the Royal family, the aristocracy 'alien' or 'capitalist' or 'reformist'. accepted and supported them in and the hotels of England. Simi This calls for the retention of the good faith. In 1947 the logical con larly, by common consent, Hindi and English language. clusion was reached, partition of the other national languages of In a Balenced Scheme of Education the country. If a duality of lan India will have ample scope to deve Lastly, it is now generally agreed guages is adopted now for the pur lop and expand without coming that in any balanced scheme of edu pose of All-India competitive ser- into any serious conflict either with cation there should be provision 'Not Persian? Ed,. each other or with English.
840