Does India need a National Language?

October 24, 2021

Over the last week, Twitter has been abuzz with #reject_zomato trending and this is only the latest instance where the language question has been debated on the online platform. Over the past years #stopHindiImposition, #NammaBankuKannada, #NEP and #StopHindiImperialsm are all different hashtags that have been used to discuss the same question of India’s national language.

The answer to the question of which language should be the national language is a divisive issue.

The constituent assembly during the foundation of our nation grappled with this question. It was decided that Hindi should be adopted as the national language after a period of 15 years and the use of English should be phased out of India. There was opposition to this decision from many especially representatives from the non- Hindi speaking areas within the country.

As the 15 years’ time period elapsed the decision to continue without a national language was made as there were widespread protests against the possibility of Hindi being recognized as the national language.

The support for English to be recognized as the national language to avoid any offence to a particular community is present as well. Notable Dalit Scholars such as Chandra Bhan Prasad and D Shyam Babu¹ have looked at the English language as means of liberation for the community.

After generations of subjugation and exclusion a language, many would consider as foreign has been adopted by the Dalit community in instances as a tool for emancipation from the mainstream oppressive system. This showcases that the phasing out of the language as some founding members of our country envisioned would only further debilitate many within the country.

English is also preferred by many non- Hindi speakers as a language as it proves useful within the country and globally. However, the reality that the language itself was imposed over the Indian subcontinent and acts as a tool of neo-colonialism cannot be ignored.

Caste, sex and class are also explainers of the great divide between the English and non- English-speaking groups within the country. This intractable complexity is another reason why the language system in place is the best way forward for now.

The twenty-two languages recognized under the Eight schedule in the Indian constitution themselves play a dual role. On one hand, they recognize and attempt to showcase the diversity of our nation and on the other hand; the plethora of regional languages that are not included within the list are at times relegated to the positions of dialects and lose their importance and usage.

These are consequences of the politics of recognition and when it comes to the question of a national language, we should take this as a warning of the consequences the recognition of any language as the national language could have on the other language’s that would be relegated to a less prestigious position in the hierarchy.

As an example, one can look at the effect of the Eight Schedule on Tulu, a language that has been spoken and evolved across centuries in the Indian subcontinent and is struggling to be recognized under the list. According to UNESCO, Tulu today qualifies as vulnerable language.²

The existing language model needs to strive by attempting to be more inclusive by extending the number of languages included within the scheduled language list. The Indian state and people also need to feel secure with their national identity without imposing their linguistic particularities and preferences over the rest.

No, I argue that India does not need a national language as language is an intrinsic part of one’s identity and the imposition of any one language will contradict the accepting and inclusive nature that we pride ourselves on as Indians. Our strength lies in the non-recognition of any one national language as it represents the mosaic nature of our reality.