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    Points:5

      

    Active GD- Is the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English viable/ acceptable? Yes or No?

    Quoting the Prime Minister's decision that the medium of running the government should be the official language, Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing the Parliamentary Official Languages Committee, has said that people from different states must communicate in Hindi instead of English. He has also said that Hindi should be accepted as an alternative to English and not to the regional language.

    Can this call be taken as a step towards declaring Hindi as the National Language? Considering the different languages spoken across the country and also taking into account the fact that Hindi is not spoken in many parts of the country, do you think it would be viable to replace English with Hindi?

    It is in this context that we have decided to conduct an Active GD on the topic Is the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English viable and acceptable? Yes or No? Let us discuss the practicability, pros and cons, social and political implications etc of this suggestion.

    Please come up with logical arguments to support your stand. Post responses and counter responses in such a way as to add value to the discussion and raise it to a meaningful level. It goes without saying that there should be no personal references or attacks in your arguments and please do not bring in unwarranted political and regional angles that might hurt others or divert the discussion from the main point in question.

    Please refer to this Active GD announcement thread for the General Guidelines to be followed.

    The GD will be closed on the 12th of April.

    The best participants selected will be awarded a cash reward of Rs 150/- each. Other participants will also be considered for cash rewards if found eligible.

    Note: The editor who is moderating the GD will have the final say (in consultation with the team) in matters of dispute (during discussion) and a point or guidance put forth as a response by the moderator need not be responded to by the participating members.
  • #755111

    Points:5
    From my side a big no to the govt decision. As anything which is forcefully imposed would not be taken in right spirit and though I do like the Hindi language and for that one reason I cannot accept the fact that everyone should communicate in Hindi which is not acceptable. Moreover we the South Indians have the compulsion to learn mother tongue, English and Hindi and apart from other languages but those who hail from North they can just learn one language and that seems to suffice as per the current rule of the central govt. There would be wholesome protest from many states especially Tamil Nadu which is totally against the imposition of Hindi as a language in the state. And by raising this issue BJP may be totally out of swing in the South as this decision could have far reaching impact on the poll prospects.
    K Mohan
    'Idhuvum Kadandhu Pogum "
    Even this challenging situation would ease

  • #755122

    Points:5
    To begin with, I would like to submit that the call to use Hindi instead of English for communication in India is not any kind of imposition of Hindi on the people of India as alleged by a learned participant in his post (#755111) above. It is merely an urge to the people of India to gradually adopt Hindi which is the most widely spoken language of India instead of English which is primarily a foreign language and is symbolic of our subordination during the British rule.

    According to the census of 2011, there are 121 languages in India which are spoken by more than 10,000 numbers of speakers. Out of these, 22 languages are already part of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India i.e. recognised as Scheduled Languages or Regional Official Languages. Also, in terms of the number of speakers (in crores), the top 12 languages of India are as follows –

    1. Hindi - 61.5
    2. Bengal - 26.5
    3. Urdu - 17.0
    4. Punjabi - 12.6
    5. Marathi - 9.5
    6. Telugu - 9.3
    7. Tamil - 8.1
    8. Gujarati - 6.1
    9. Kannada - 5.6
    10. Odia - 3.8
    11. Malayalam - 3.8
    12. Assamese - 1.5

    It is evident from the above data that in terms of the number of speakers, Hindi is already the lingua franca of India particularly, in the northern and central regions. Lingua franca is defined as any of various languages used as common or commercial tongues among peoples of diverse speech.

    Historically, in India Persian was the official language i.e. language of administration during the period of Muslim rule and later during the British rule, English became the language of administration. After independence Hindi was recognised as one of the two official languages, the other being the English language. Presently, there is no National Language in India and practically English is the de facto lingua franca in India.

    We should not confuse the official language and the lingua franca although from all points of view it will become much more convenient for all concerned if both the official language and the lingua franca are the same.

    I am fully at ease after realising that both the advocacy for the adoption of Hindi as well as the opposition to Hindi is solely due to political reasons. However, I think all true Indians will agree that we should give precedence to our own Indian languages over the foreign language English.

    Thus, the suggestion to use Hindi for communication in India instead of English has nothing to do with the other languages of India. The suggestion is directed towards replacing a foreign language English with one of the Indian languages which happens to be Hindi in terms of the number of speakers at present.

    However, the specific answer to the topic of the GD is 'No'. Unfortunately, it is not viable in India to use Hindi alone for communication instead of English though it is highly desirable and patently a truly nationalistic requirement.
    Let us encourage each other in sharing knowledge.

  • #755123

    Points:3
    No one can deny that learning more than one language is always beneficial. Now, the point is can Hindi be that alternative in context to English and bring some healthy changes. No doubt, it will be a conflicting proposition.

    It's not about giving importance to English, a foreign language, but promoting Hindi requires changes from the grassroots level, which means teaching Hindi should be made compulsory from the Montessori section in the non- Hindi speaking belt. Is it possible? I don't think so.
    shampasaid

  • #755126

    Points:5 (₹ 5)
    India is a country of diversity. We have so many major languages in India being spoken in different parts of this country. Hindi is one of them. In many states the primary language of communication between people as well as in the working of the state government is the local language whatever it be. Now if the government wants to replace that with Hindi then it is not going to be an easy task. People having practices and emotional connect with their languages will never agree for this. I remember that in past also there were attempts by the central government to make Hindi as one of the working languages in all the states of India but there was a large opposition for this and finally the idea was dropped.
    Interestingly, Hindi is such a language that it is spreading its wings without any support or push from any government. Thanks to our Bollywood film industry that Hindi is learnt by many voluntary. Still it is far from being a working language in all the states of our country.
    Government may be trying to push Hindi for making it as an alternative to English but in my opinion it is not possible to do so in the political conditions present across the country. The idea might appear alright that it is an attempt to replace English with one of the major languages in India but when we come to the practicalities then it is not possible at this juncture to replace English with Hindi. It does not look a viable option at this point of time.
    Knowledge is power.

  • #755130

    Points:5
    Yes, I favour Hindi being declared the National Language. As per our Indian Constitution, there is no national language, and as far as official languages are concerned, both Hindi and English are used as official languages. 

    As per the Constitution of India, Article 343, the official language of the Union of India shall be Hindi, written in Devanagari script. When the constitution was made, it was mentioned that the English language would continue to be used for all official purposes of the Union of India for a period of fifteen years from the commencement of this Constitution. But after the Official Languages Act, 1963, the English language was allowed to continue alongside Hindi in the Indian government indefinitely until legislation was passed to change it.

    Now the question is whether it should be a medium of communication. Then I say, why not? It should be because in India, there are several languages spoken in different states. Even the Indian States have many regional languages. In most of the northern States, the spoken language is Hindi, but if we look state-wise, there are different regional languages. For example, in Punjab, there is Punjabi; in Haryana, people speak Haryanvi, in Rajasthan, Rajasthani; in Uttarakhand, people speak Garhwali and Kumauni. So, even in the States, the language is not the same. And Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India. Most people understand it.

    As a nation, it is a must to have a national language. Hindi is a direct descendant of Sanskrit, which is an ancient language and also called the language of God. And all the others have also evolved from Sanskrit. So, all the languages are related to each other. And in most states, people can understand Hindi. Yes, it might be a little bit difficult for the people from the non-Hindi-speaking regions in India, particularly from South India, to communicate in Hindi, but slowly they can adapt to it. 

    Hindi must be a part of the course curriculum in each state of India, like English. If people of India can learn English while it is a foreign language, then why not Hindi? And because Hindi is the most spoken language (61.5 crores hindi speakers) as mentioned in # 755122, it may be declared as a National Language.

  • #755149

    Points:5
    A language is a tool to communicate our ideas or needs to others and to have discussions with others. If there is no common language between the two persons that are meeting, the communication will be very difficult and we require a translator in between and he should be knowing both languages.
    If I know only my mother tongue I can communicate with the people who are knowing that language and mostly they are local people only. So people learn more languages. This has become a need these days as the moment has become a must these days.
    So learning languages is not a problem. But forcing a language on people is different. In South India, there are many regional languages whereas in North India Hindi is very popular. As per the statistics given in #755122, more than 60% of people are Hindi speaking. So many people feel that Hindi should be the national language. But what about the remaining 40%.
    But English is the language used by many people internationally and even a person who knows only the local language can also understand it to some extent as the majority of the people use English words mixed in their language.
    I believe forcing a language on somebody is not correct and the English language is the universal language. As such English should be allowed from all the state governments and asking them to communicate in Hindi will not go well with many states, especially the southern States. So I say no to this proposal.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755151

    Points:5
    I don't feel that state governments will accept this. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Telugu is the official language and they communicate in Telugu from one department to the other department also to communicate to people Telugu is used by the government. similarly, Tamilnadu may be using Tamil, Karnataka may be using Kannada and Kerala may be using Malayalam. Many people in all these states don't know Hindi and they can't speak Hindi also. Like this in north India also Bengal language may be used by west Bengal. So if they have to communicate in Hindi with the Central government there may be problems and they may not be able to bring their ideas properly in their notes. So English will be used by these states when they communicate with the central government or when they interact with other states.
    So the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English is not viable. It is also not acceptable. Many of the officials from non-Hindi speaking states can't make their communications in Hindi and they may not understand the letters received in Hindi.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755158

    Points:5 (₹ 5)
    India is world-renowned for its multilingualism. Even so, I think It is not right to impose the Hindi language on all the people of the country. The languages ??of the northern part of the country have some similarities so many people understand Hindi. On the other hand, if you associate with people from the south, you will understand that Hindi is not spoken there at all or people do not want to use Hindi. There are many languages ??in the country but why only Hindi? If you think a little, you will understand that those whose mother tongue is Hindi have to read only one other language English, and for those whose mother tongue is not Hindi, will it be right to impose Hindi on them and impose three languages? Since Hindi is the mother tongue of most people, non-Hindi-speaking states have boundaries with some Hindi-speaking states. So Hindi can be said to be a very overlapping language in this country. It has been working as a link language since before independence. However, Hindi should not be suppressed as the state language but English should be given that door. You may think that Urdu is the main official language of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in our country, but in West Bengal, more people speak Urdu, with a population of about 1.6 million. Bengali is the second most widely spoken language in Jharkhand like India, but Bengali is not the official language of Jharkhand.
    On the other hand, Bengali is the official language of West Bengal and Tripura, one-third of the people of Assam speak Bengali but did not even recognize Bengali as the second official language there. 40% of the people of Andaman speak Bengali but the official language is not recognized. In almost every state of India, there are a lot of Bengali-speaking people who speak Bengali among themselves but do not get the benefit of using Bengali in schools or educational institutions and in government work. This problem is for every non-Hindi speaking people around the country. There is a saying, that without a native language, hope cannot be fulfilled. Hence, everyone will be in favor of his own language. Many people may want Hindi to be the state language. But many do not want it. So why can't we choose English for the overall development of the country for the international standard?
    Believe in the existence of God the superpower.
    Regards
    Dhruba

  • #755164

    Points:4
    I join this GD "Is the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English viable/ acceptable?" with an 'Yes' knowing pretty well that there cannot be a definite 'cut and dried' answer this matter. However as the GD guidelines need either of the answers for siding and discussing, I chose the Yes which is more near to may thoughts. This Yes is just for the sake of theoretical discussion, as I very well know that the real implementation depends on many ''s and 'but's.
    So, even though I have taken the side of 'ayes', during the course of discussion I may put forth my balanced view also.

  • #755171

    Points:5 (₹ 5)
    With due respect to Hindi, I would like to debate that Hindi can not be replaced with English for communication because of two solid reasons. The first reason is, that English is spoken by a majority of Indians in almost all the states of India while Hindi is not. For example, when you go to Tamil Nadu, a South Indian state, even the auto drivers and bus drivers speak a little bit of English and communicate with those who do not know Tamil. However, they do not respond well when a newcomer who does not know Tamil speaks in Hindi. Although this situation does not arise in all the Indian cities, it still happens in major cities in India.

    The second reason is that English is the internationally spoken language and many people willingly learn English as they feel that being good at the English language can have plenty of advantages. Therefore, I feel that let English be the main language of communication as it benefits the English-speaking people in various ways. For instance, when tourists from Southern states go to the Northern States of India, they communicate in English only which they are good at instead of blabbering in broken Hindi which they do not know well. No doubt, communication becomes a problem here.
    Finally, I would like to state that I am a language lover and I am fluent in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Kannada, and English. Still, English language is my priority because of the reasons I have mentioned above.

  • #755183

    Points:4
    I only know two languages one is Mother Tongue Telugu and one is Career language or Educational Language English. Hindi is derived from Urdu. North Indians are under the rule of Akbar, Babar, Shajahan ,Aurangajeb. . What I want to tell you is there are two sections of People in this country. One section comes from Hindi belt and others are non Hindi belt. Other than main Dravidian languages like Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam(ordered by largest speakers ) all the other languages are descendant of Urdu. Gujarati,Marathi,Punjabi and others all are equal to Hindi or Urdu. This is the main reason that Central politicians wants Hindi as a National language.
    Everyone should observe the nature of the Graphite structure because a Graphite has only a tendency to convert into diamond under tremendous temperature and pressure.

  • #755184

    Points:5
    I am working in a small pharmaceutical company with its HO based at Delhi and manufacturing facility based at Gurgaon, Haryana with its customers located at varied regions of this country. From east to west to north to south, either be it the Gujarat or Punjab or the MP or the Chennai or other famous places of South like the Bengaluru or Hyderabad or Tirupati or may this be the Mumbai or Pune or even Kolkata or from Rajasthan, I have been communicating to all of them either in English or Hindi and we never had a communication gap. It is not only about with the existing company but in the previous company's too that I worked with in the past. Adding to this I feel good when one of my customers who although a Muslim and located in Srinagar greets by saying "Namaskar". Few seculars may feel this otherwise, but we never felt different but instead seemed belongs to a common trait which unites us in some ways which lets us feel an Indian in the first place even though that may have been used professionally. So, what is an issue here then?

    The PM and the Home Minister themselves are Gujarati from culture and in terms of considering their mother tongue and requesting to use Hindi language would not mean that they deliberately showing disrespect to their original identity.

    My request from everyone is not to get political here but identify ourselves to something which enables all of us to show oneness among many.

    I have been to different locations for studies and for jobs and have many friends from different regions and language, but we never indulge in any conflicts or differences because in between we have a very good understanding of the languages which me and the others are comfortable with and I feel that if we leave politics behind then we have the most beautiful thing with us.

    Finally, the PM never forced to use this as a common means of communication instead he intends us to have a good choice and nothing and therefore please do not misinterpret it.

  • #755185

    Points:2
    Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali ,Odisha all are close to Hindi or Urdu. So the North politicians or Hindi belt Politicians wants Hindi as a National language...
    Everyone should observe the nature of the Graphite structure because a Graphite has only a tendency to convert into diamond under tremendous temperature and pressure.

  • #755186

    Points:5
    The call for communicating in Hindi instead of English not at all acceptable for people of many non Hindi speaking states.By hook or crook implementing this feature means, simply the center is keeping pressure on non Hindi speaking people. Already the Hindi states are dominating over people of non Hindi states in politics because of their language majority domination factor. If people of non Hindi speaking states ask their language to be implemented instead of English what will be the answer? After Hindi, the most spoken language in the country is Bengali, Urdu and Telugu and then we may ask for the same. So it is an unnecessary attempt to disturb the language issue in the country by Hindi interested political parties. As English is an universal language most of the people are well versed and comfortable with this language. If Hindi is forcibly implemented on Hindi speaking people, simply non Hindi speaking people will loose the great feeling of oneness of the country and it is not at all good for the country. In majority the non Hindi speaking people dominates over Hindi speaking people. The non Hindi speaking people will feel why Hindi dominating belt suppressing them? So in my opinion Hindi is not at all viable or replaceable for a big multilingual country like India.

  • #755187

    Points:5
    When we do anything, the first and foremost point we have to see is that the purpose is served. Why do works without serving the purpose? The main purpose of communicating or corresponding with others is to see that we will convey what we want or what we are thinking or what we expect from them? If you insist somebody use a particular language to convey the matter to you, they may fail in the job and they may not communicate properly. The expected result may not come because of this. That means purpose is not served.
    Many people especially in South India may not understand Hindi well and they may not communicate properly in that language. Then they say we will start sending reports in our local language only. This will lead to some new complications. If the Central government wants to send their communications in Hindi but they should not insist all others communicate in Hindi. If they want some uniform system all over the country. the only language that will go well is English only. Now the present system is going on well and things are moving well. So I feel the central government should not make Hindi a language to correspond and the flexibility should be there.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755190

    Points:3
    I would add that being an expert in English language goes high on the weighing scale because job opportunities are plenty. In addition, in the present era , students who study English as the main language can easily study abroad in European countries and settle down there with good remuneration. This, I firmly say a big no to the proposal of Hindi being made the official language by the government .

  • #755192

    Points:3
    I have read this very interesting post which is an active GD. Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate in this GD due to paucity of time. So, I will only submit some points very humbly and respectfully for other esteemed members to consider and ponder.

    1. We must remember that the mother language of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah is not Hindi. So, at least they are not propagating their own mother language.
    2. What Amit Shah has stated is only a proposal. He wants a healthy discussion on this proposal in civil societies.
    3. I live in Delhi. In my office or among the acquaintances, I see many couples from two different states. Today, just before leaving office, I enjoyed a quarrel between my immediate neighbour in office, a Tamil gentleman, and his Malayali wife working in another Ministry in the same building. Both of them were fighting in Hindi. Only because of their use of Hindi as the medium of conversation, I could enjoy their verbal fight. Although both belong to two South Indian states, they use Hindi as their medium of conversation and quarrel in Hindi only without being forced by anyone.
    4. Once I was astonished while travelling in a train to Guahati. I saw a Kuki husband was talking to his Naga wife in broken Hindi. Both belonged to North-East, used to stay in Delhi and talked to each other in Hindi.
    5. One of my Bengali friends has married a Mizo lady. I wrote about them long back on this platform (changing the name of the lady) here: Lali found her partner. Even after so many years, they converse between themselves in Hindi.
    6. In IT sector also, I have noticed the same phenomenon. Married couples belong to different states working in IT sector talk to each other in Hindi (although laced with frequent English words).

    Such examples are endless. These couples have not been forced by anyone to communicate in Hindi. They adopted Hindi as their mutual mode of communication on their own because this language is most convenient to them, of course, after their mother language. No one has pressurised them to adopt Hindi as their language of communication within the four walls of their home.

    (I will write further as and when I find opportunity.)

    [Avoid needless extra opening/closing notes.]
    “Khamosh rahoon toh mushkil hain, keh doon toh shikayat hoti hain" (It is difficult to remain silent; But if I speak, they complain.) --------- Saba Afghani

  • #755195

    Points:5
    After reading various posts, I want to draw the attention of the participant members that we have to think about the overall development of an individual along with it the county's progress. Most of the members have highlighted the ratio of citizens who speak Hindi, English and their mother tongue, and Hindi speaking people are more in number. Well, I feel we must keep aside the ratio factor of the spoken languages and let's consider the scientific, technological and other developmental projects. We live in the computer age, and the internet is ruling the world. People are surfing the websites for various information for their academic or occupational purposes, and most of the details are available in English. So, why should Hindi be given more importance than English? The younger generation of India has to carve a better future for themselves, and it can be on a global platform too. Without a good grasp of English, the young Indians cannot march ahead of others. Hindi cannot be a better substitute for English.
    shampasaid

  • #755196

    Points:5
    #755190 Hindi is already an official language along with English as per our Indian constitution. Here we are talking about making Hindi the National Language and medium of communication.

    I want to clarify here that a national language is a language that is spoken by a large part of the population of a country, which may or may not be designated an official language. Here as we can see that Hindi is the language, spoken by the maximum population of the country.

    A national language is also a national symbol that represents the national identity of a country. The main reason for having national symbols is to unite people through the creation of verbal, visual, and iconic symbolism of the country. They promote a sense of patriotism among the people of the country. Having a national language will give us a sense of pride. India was previously known as "Hindustan" i.e. land of Hindi speaking people. And we all feel proud to be Hindustani. In this way, Hindi should be the national language of the nation.

    Hindi is widely spoken in India and Hindi speakers are maximum in number despite many different languages. And apart from that most of the other people at least understand basic Hindi. Not only this, Hindi is the 5th most widely spoken language in the world.

    Since the formation of the Indian Constitution, Hindi was kept as the official language along with English. Why not any other language kept for official use? It is true that several states have their own official language but still, the main official languages are Hindi and English. If Hindi is declared the National language. At the same time, a different state may have their own official languages. A national language of a country is related to the country's socio-political and cultural functions. On the other hand, an official language of a county is connected to government affairs such as the functioning of the parliament or the national court.

  • #755197

    Points:5
    In India, most of the population (approximately 75%) lives in the villages where most people are aware of Hindi and they speak Hindi or at least understand Hindi. It is easy for them to accept the Hindi language as compared to the English language.

    It would be wrong to say that in non-Hindi speaking States, nobody understands Hindi. I, myself, was on an official visit to Andhra Pradesh, where I hired a taxi. The driver was a local resident and I thought that he will not understand Hindi. So I talked with him in English. I felt that he was not comfortable in English. Later I got surprised when he started talking to me in Hindi. And recently I visited Kolkata, here most people speak Bengali but I found that most of them talk and/or understand Hindi. So I mean to tell this story here that many non-Hindi speaking States also people understand/speak Hindi.

  • #755198

    Points:5
    Let me start my second post in this GD by sharing a joke which is inspired by the post #755192 above of Mr Partha mentioning a quarrel between a couple with two different mother tongues. One such couple was very intelligent. They decided to learn Sanskrit for quarrelling. The logic was that during their quarrels the neighbour will think that some 'Puja or Havan' is going on in their house.

    I have gone through each post of our learned ISCians above and found that the GD topic is almost one-sided as there is almost no scope to put forth arguments countering the 'yes' version of the topic- 'Is the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English viable and acceptable?' Mr Venkiteswaran has been very honest in admitting that he is countering the 'yes' version only for the sake of countering it as it is a GD requiring arguments both in favour of the topic as well as against it. It is perhaps a very intelligent move on his part.

    As I have already submitted in my previous response #755122 that 'it is not viable in India to use Hindi alone for communication instead of English', the following are the supplementary arguments in favour of my submission –

    1. The bond of language overpowers even the bond of religion. When a Bengali speaking Muslim from Bangladesh meets a Bengali speaking Hindu of West Bengal, they communicate in Bengali and perhaps don't care much if their religions are different. Similarly, people speaking any of the121 languages of India feel much more comfortable and connected while communicating in their mother tongue instead of communicating in Hindi or even English for that matter.

    2. The main languages spoken in South India namely Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam belong to the Dravidian family of languages whereas Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan family of languages making it quite challenging for the people of the southern states of India to adopt Hindi as a means of communication.

    3. With the advent of computer and internet technology the international boundaries have melted and the world has become one. Nowadays, the people are travelling from one country to the other countries for various purposes like business, studies, jobs and as tourists like. Incidentally, English is spoken and understood in a maximum number of countries across the globe including major developed countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia etc. whereas Hindi is spoken only in India. Thus, adopting English as Lingua Franca helps not only within India alone but across the globe also.

    4. I have worked in a central government department with all India transfer liability and therefore have worked in different parts of India and have people belonging to different parts of India in my friend list. Though most of them know Hindi also because they had to work in Hindi speaking regions also but we use English only in communications like exchanging greetings and mails etc. It appears obvious and natural to communicate in English with friends belonging to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala etc.

    5. I am being practical only despite the fact that during most of my service period, I had an additional charge of Rajbhasa Adhikari (Hindi Officer) as there was no full-time post of Hindi Officer in my organisation. I have worked on the promotion of Hindi as an official language throughout my career and therefore have developed insight into the whole matter. I fully understand the differences between a national language, an official language, the mother tongue, the lingua franca etc. and therefore find myself competent enough to comment on the chosen topic of the GD.

    To sum up, I have to reiterate that it is not a viable option to adopt Hindi alone as means of communication in India primarily because India is a cauldron of cultures with many languages belonging to different languages families and also because India is consistently gaining greater roles in the international scenario. Many CEOs of major Tech/IT giants in the US are English speaking people of Indian origin only.

    Therefore, my unambiguous answer to the GD topic - 'Is the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English viable/ acceptable?' is a big 'No'.
    Let us encourage each other in sharing knowledge.

  • #755199

    Points:4
    If we keep aside the educational and occupational values and only consider the communication factor, then again, I would say a person must have the liberty to choose the language with which s/he is comfortable while communicating. There are many instances when we see people shift to another language while one gets angry. The language can be any, so if there is a force in which language one needs to convey one's point of view, then such communications will lose its emotion and soul.

    The government's job is to keep the citizens happy and contented. Speaking a language without an emotional connection spreads negativity all around. Language is a medium to express oneself without fear, and the moment government forces a language upon the citizens, it loses its sanctity.
    shampasaid

  • #755205

    Points:5
    The issue of making Hindi as the official language of working in all the states and replacing English with it is not a new topic. This was discussed in the parliament earlier also many times and Central Government attempted to achieve this task but as many states did not like this idea and the issue was most of the times discarded as not viable.
    Now the government is again bringing this issue in the forefront on the plea that English is a foreign language and it is better to replace it with one of the Indian languages of prominence.
    In my view it doesn't appear to be viable proposition because of various reasons. First is that many states will have affinity to their own local language which is spoken by so many people and they are already well verse in working in that particular language. There are political considerations also over and above that.
    Hindi by its own account has spread widely in our country and I think government has to wait for some more years to let it become more friendly to the people of the various states where it is not a primary language of communication. Then only at an appropriate time this issue can be again flagged. As on today at the present juncture it does not appear to be a viable proposition.
    Knowledge is power.

  • #755209

    Points:3
    It is true that India is a diverse country and its people are multilingual. They are free to practise their religion and also speak their language. But I want to bring some actual facts to notice here:

    As previously discussed in the preceding posts, a large number of people in India speak Hindi. In the 2011 census, 52.83 crore people selected Hindi as their mother tongue. 13.92 crore people had selected Hindi as their second language, and 24.16 crore people had selected Hindi as their third language. So a good number of people speak and understand Hindi. 

    In many Indian states and UTs, the official language is Hindi. This includes Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat (additional official language), Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal (additional official language), Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. Apart from this, in other states whose official language is not Hindi, people still speak and understand Hindi. 

    Not only in India, but Hindi is also spoken in several other countries, such as Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, China, UK, South Africa, Yemen, Singapore, Canada, USA, etc. So, Hindi has its presence and popularity at an international level also. Hindi is also one of the official languages of UNESCO. Hindi is being promoted in all other countries, but it is surprising that in India it is fighting to get its recognition. 

    The Indian Constituent Assembly selected Hindi as the official language of India on September 14, 1949. Since 1953, Hindi Diwas has been celebrated in the country on September 14th each year. Moreover, the extent of the Hindi language can be inferred from the fact that World Hindi Day is celebrated on January 10 across the world. Hindi is also being taught in 150+ countries and 150+ universities all over the globe. Then, why will it not be feasible to introduce Hindi into the course curriculum in India? 

    In South Africa, out of 5.96 crores, approximately 4.36 lakh of the population is Hindi-speaking. In Fiji, Fiji Hindi is the national language. Fiji Hindi is a type of Awadhi influenced by Bhojpuri. If Fiji can have Hindi as its national language, then why can't we have it?

    Most countries in the world have their own national languages. It is also a fact that most countries also have multiple languages. And only a few have English as a national language. So, if we have Hindi as our national language and communication medium, it will be a matter of great privilege.

  • #755212

    Points:10 (₹ 10)
    Raking Hindi issue has a political background. As said by Partha sir, Mr.Modi and Mr.Amit shah may be Gujarati speaking people. But they want large chunk of Hindi speaking northern belt should be in their fold and so they support and rake up this issue. If they succeed in this, it is easy for political parties to win elections in India. But it will be an embarrassing issue for large part of people of India. What Partha sir told in his examples that so many Indians can speak and understand Hindi is totally wrong. 99% people of non Hindi speaking states are uncomfortable with Hindi. Suppose theoretically, if some other dominating language of the country Bengali is made official language, Hindi speaking people will accept for the sake national integrity? Using Bengali language as official language, how embracing for Hindi speaking people. When South Indians go to North India, the people always converse in Hindi eventhough we enquire things in English. So it is not easy to switch over to other languages leaving mother language or universal English language.

    India is a country of a great diversity with people speaking in different languages, following different religions and following different traditions and cultures. The unity and integrity of our nation is purely because of people mutually honoring their diversified cultures. Once this mutual honoring and respect is lost and if one tries to dominate over the others, the entire unity and oneness will be lost. Playing political games with language issue bring disaster to the country.

  • #755213

    Points:3
    Some of the members have cited some examples regarding the usage of Hindi by the non-Hindi speakers. It's good. Even I can talk about myself as an example. I am a born Bengali, grew up in Bihar till the age of thirty, then moved to Kolkata for five years and after that am staying in Delhi for almost nineteen years. I studied in a Missionary school and college and did my postgraduation in English. I am happy to go through such phases in my life because it has given me the scope to learn Bengali, Hindi and English properly. Knowing several languages is very beneficial, so why shouldn't English be used according to the users' choice. Knowledge never goes waste, so our government should stress promoting every language and not only specifically Hindi. Numerous examples like me are confident in many languages, which helps people mix with others without hesitation. If Hindi gets the priority, then the people of the Hindi belt will be at a loss. Expertise in only one language cannot be as helpful as those who know more than one language.
    shampasaid

  • #755214

    Points:5
    I understand that English is an international language but at the local level in India, if it is decided by the Government that Hindi should be the national language, then what is the issue? As per the data shared by Kailash Kumar in response #75512211, almost 61% of people in India know Hindi and speak Hindi. Where is the matter of doubt? There is no point in the argument. If someone says, that his mother tongue should be the national language, that is not possible. All languages cannot be common language or national language.

    Part XVII of the Indian Constitution deals the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script and it is accepted in 1949. Also article, 351 says that Hindi must be spread in the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language. Hope this concludes the discussion. Who else is above the constitution?
    Dr. Paresh B. Gujarati.
    Mechanical Engineer.
    'I'mprovement always begins with 'I'.

  • #755217

    Points:4
    What a hypocrisy by a few of the members here.

    No one including the PM or the HM disregard any of the languages being spoken in any corner or part of our country, but few are looking at it from a political point of view. I do not understand, although they respect their mother tongue but go on support a foreign language English over their mother tongue but restrain Hindi from replacing English to communicate.

    What do we refer to as this kind of attitude? Is this an act of neglect towards their mother tongue over English that makes them feel proud of or hatred for a Hindi-speaking community? In both scenarios I pity them.

  • #755218

    Points:3
    I think some of the posts are going away from the GD topic scope. The scope of the topic is to say whether communicating in Hindi instead of English is viable/ acceptable?

    Hindi is not our national language, nowhere officially it is declared. At the same time, English is also not our national language. Maybe it is a step forward in making Hindi an official national language which is opposed by many and may not be possible also.

    Technological developments that are taking place can be applied to Hindi also and we can use computers and other devices in all regional languages also. That way we need not think that by using Hindi we may become technologically backward.

    The Global Village concept is spreading and people from all over the globe are coming to India. If the governments start communicating with them in Hindi, the MNCs may not like the concept and they always prefer English only. If we insist on another language they may not show interest to come to our country and employment opportunities may also come down, which is not a welcome factor for our country in the present situation.

    The medium of instruction to many students who are getting their jobs in the state and the central government is English and these people are also not very good at Hindi and for them also it is very difficult to communicate in Hindi. Again the government has to take steps to train the employees in communicating in Hindi. All this is a waste of time and money.

    So what the country is gaining by insisting on all official communications to be in Hindi. I fail to understand. Why waste resources for no productivity activities.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755220

    Points:4
    @ DR.N.V. Srinivasa Rao
    The MNCs are focused on commercial activities and if they are getting a profit from a set-up based somewhere which is culturally different and does not match up linguistically, then they have their representatives deputed to such locations to take care of their businesses and therefore no relations to the topic being discussed here.

    English is preferred because this has an advantage over other languages but in the future, if Hindi gets an edge commercially, the English will have less meaning. It is a matter of time and if we have a nationalistic view other than to impress others or limited to private jobs this will surely change.

  • #755221

    Points:5
    In my previous response, I tried to establish giving some evidences that people from different communities feel that it is easier to communicate in Hindi than in English. These people are well-educated, know English well, but still are more comfortable in Hindi than in English. They are communicating with their partners from other states in Hindi without being pressurized by anyone. Among them, there are many people from South Indian states also.

    The language which people opt to communicate in a multi-lingual country like India is that language in which the people are most comfortable. Indians including educated Indians adopt Hindi as the mode of communication with people of other states.

    Thirdly, if we consider the political angle, I don't think the current BJP top leadership is forcing any language on the people of India. Because, the BJP leadership is well aware that the party is relatively weaker in southern states, and if the party imposes Hindi in the South Indian states, that would be politically harmful for the party. So, the party would never impose Hindi on any state.

    I think, a debate is necessary in civil societies about chosing a suitable language of communication among the Indians. Although, I am not a 'Hindi-wallah' and can speak broken ('tooti-footi') English, I still feel that it is easier to communicate with people of other states in Hindi rather than in English.

    Furthermore, I feel that those who oppose Hindi, must make efforts to amend Article 351 of the Constitution which states that it shall be the duty of the Union (Government of India) to promote the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating without interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or desirable, for its vocabulary, primarily, on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages.
    “Khamosh rahoon toh mushkil hain, keh doon toh shikayat hoti hain" (It is difficult to remain silent; But if I speak, they complain.) --------- Saba Afghani

  • #755222

    Points:2
    @ Ved Prakash Anand,
    As mentioned by you, the MNCs may appoint representatives who may be conversant with that language but they should get a person in whom they will have that confidence. Generally, if you see MNCs, for technical and other functions they may hire other people but for financial matters and to deal with government agencies they prefer their local person only.
    In any case, Hindi can't take the place of English as English is a Global language and Hindi is not even completely accepted in one country. Even Hindi gets the edge, not immediately and there are many ifs and buts. Let the language get that edge and then the government can insist but it is too early for that as of now.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755223

    Points:1
    @ DR.N.V. Srinivasa Rao,
    In context to your comment and remark, the process is already begun.

  • #755225

    Points:2
    To bring up a debate on the more usage of the Hindi language
    by the Cabinet Minister is uncalled. It unwantedly divides the country, and some bad-mouthing takes place. No Indian should be against any of the languages spoken in India. We need to respect every language equally, be it the different mother tongues and English, the foreign language. Good command of English is essential for the MNCs and other private sectors.

    Let's take Medical education in which students must be good at English. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to understand the course material. Recently the Madhya Pradesh Government has announced that the state will offer MBBS education in Hindi in all its medical colleges. The Medical Education Commission has announced that it will not recognise the Medical degree taught in Hindi. The students will face the brunt, isn't it so? Even the students will face a big problem in getting standard books in Hindi, and they will have a massive challenge if they aspire for higher studies or jobs outside India.

    Every decision must not base upon data. Life does not revolve around data, but it needs a practical approach to uplift a country.
    shampasaid

  • #755228

    Points:2
    #755218

    We are very well aware of the fact that the scope of the GD is to say whether communicating in Hindi instead of English is viable/ acceptable?

    And in all most all the posts it is mentioned that most of the population in India is Hindi speaking or understands Hindi. So it is understood that when most of the population talks and/ or understands basic Hindi then of course it is acceptable instead of English for communication. In India, more than 75% population is residing in villages and they also find it difficult to understand English. So, how can we say that communication in English is easy and viable? People are learning, and using English for more than 100 years and still, they have problems. While Hindi exist in India since ancient times and most people understand this. It could have flourished but could not and there might be several reasons for this such as political issues or regionalism.

    If we are not becoming technological backward by using Hindi., then what are things that are stopping us from using Hindi for communication purposes? We can see that nowadays, the most popular news channels are Hindi news channels, Hollywood movies are the most popular all over India including in South India. The use of Hindi has increased to a great extent in the last few decades. As per the 1991 census, Hindi was the mother tongue of 39.3% population which has increased up to 43.63% as per Census 2011.

    Further, some members have said that Hindi has been originated from Urdu. So, I want to clarify that Hindi has been originated from Sanskrit. And Urdu originated in Arabic and Persian. But, both Hindi and Urdu have been considered sister languages because of their similar grammar base.

  • #755230

    Points:2
    #755228
    Most of the population in North India may understand Hindi. But it is not true in South India. If your travel to Kerala or Tamilnadu no person will understand Hindi. The auto driver and Cab driver in Kerala can understand English and speak English but not Hindi. Already the difference between North India and South India is increasing and by bringing this movie South Indians may become more agitated. It will become a political issue and unnecessary differences will crop up. Already English is in use and let it continue so that no new problems will crop up.
    Otherwise, the government should allow each state to work in its local language and the central government has to communicate with the states in the local language of that state. Why I am telling this is that many South Indians feel Hindi is the local language of North India.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755237

    Points:5
    Thank you Kailash for supporting the fact that Hindi cannot be imposeed and India is the lingquitic country with so many languages spread across the states and If Hindi has to be studied as top proprity then there is every threat of forgetting the mother tongue. Shampla Madam there is no denial that Hindi should be learned but that should not be imposed from the montessori level which would supersede the local mother tongue. Hindi cannot be alternative to English as opined by Umesh. It is the national language and one must have an idea about it and that should not be imposed .Dr Deepali seems to be confused as she supports Hindi as the national langauge and at the same time should not be imposed on the states. And I am sure Bengalis will not be following this rule at all as they would be imposting their own langauge.
    K Mohan
    'Idhuvum Kadandhu Pogum "
    Even this challenging situation would ease

  • #755238

    Points:5
    In implementing Hindi, the present government is saying patriotism as their policy. But forcibly implementing Hindi leads to division of people and showing disrespect to their ethnic languages and culture. Then this can't be called as patriotism. Patriotism keeps people together emotionally and mentally. In India this type of patriotism is possible only through unity through diversity. Srilanka is a live example for India where civilian war broke out in the past in Srilanka where Tamil language was disrespected by the then rulers. So many other countries of the world follow one nation, one culture and one language is an European style. But India follows the concept of unity in diversity and is the most suitable concept for us. Then why India is trying to follow foreign concepts? For this, members who are supporting Hindi as national language are saying English as Britishers language we forcibly adopted it. If we think on that line, now UK and so many European countries are friendly countries to us. If the past enmity has to be followed we must discard all relations with UK at present. What we are thinking about British is all past history. English is a must language to live gracefully in a global village of modern world. Other than this, Sanskrit is the most ancient language than Hindi and then why not it should be made national language? Then all Indians can start learning that language and the advantage of undue preference given to Hindi over other languages be prevented.Forcing Hindi on non Hindi speaking people is against the basic constitutional concept of equality of opportunities to all individuals.

  • #755239

    Points:2
    #755237

    I am not confused at all. But you are. Please read my post #755196 carefully. You will find that there is a difference between the national and the official language. As Hindi and English are being used as the official languages and at the same time different States have their official language. Even if Hindi will be the national language States can have their own official language.

  • #755240

    Points:8 (₹ 8)
    I would like to summarise my views mentioned in earlier two responses.

    1. I don't think BJP top leadership has any political agenda to impose Hindi on the people of India. The leadership is intelligent enough to know that imposition of Hindi may cause major setback to the party in South Indian states, where the party is in a relatively weaker ground. Imposition of Hindi won't auger well for the party in West Bengal and in the North-Eastern states as well. The party only wants a healthy debate on this issue.
    2. I am not from Hindi belt and I do think that my mother-language (Bengali) is the best language in the world. But, I feel that Hindi is the best medium for interaction among people of different regions of the country. As a medium of communication among the people of India, no language can substitute Hindi.
    3. Further, to communicate with the people from other parts of the world, I have no doubt that English is the best language. We are already doing this.
    4. Article 351 clearly asks the state to propagate use of Hindi in all regions of India. So, those who are opposing Hindi, must demand amendment or deletion of Article 351 at the first instance.
    5. Finally, I feel that every Indian must follow the already established 'Three-Language' formula. Every Indian must learn at least three languages, his/her mother-language, Hindi and English. Those having Hindi as their mother- language, must learn any other Indian language and follow this formula.

    I convey my best wishes to the participants of this active GD.
    “Khamosh rahoon toh mushkil hain, keh doon toh shikayat hoti hain" (It is difficult to remain silent; But if I speak, they complain.) --------- Saba Afghani

  • #755242

    Points:1
    1. Learning Hindi as a third language can't be a problem. But it is the decision of the individual. If a person doesn't want to read English, how somebody can force it on him. So let us leave the decision to the individual. Already Hindi is being propagated in the South also by establishing Dakshin Bharat Prachar Sabha. Propagating is not forcing.
    2. I am from the South but I appeared for Hindi examinations through Dakshina Bharat Prachar sabha. That is the individual's decision.
    3. Already a system is in place. The system is working well. So there is no necessity to impose a new system that will raise unnecessary divided views and the gap between the south and the north may increase, which is in no way required.
    4. Already there are many problems to be solved, why in such a case invite another controversy.
    5. Keeping the above facts in mind I oppose the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English and I feel it is not worth it. Political affiliations should not come into consideration in such issues, I feel.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755245

    Points:2
    #755217

    In a GD, the members are bound to differ in their opinions, but considering it hypocrisy is not acceptable.

    #755218

    With due respect to you, Dr Rao, I beg to differ that technologically Hindi or any mother tongue cannot match up to English. We usually get the translated version in Hindi or any mother tongue, and invariably the sites have some inaccuracy in translation.

    Let me add another point to justify that making Hindi more important to English is simply a frivolous discussion. India has won many beauty pageants, and the best part is that the Indian participants didn't require any translators like a few from other countries. Taking help from a translator is not shameful, but for the Indians, it's a matter of pride that they can converse not only in Indian Languages but in a foreign language too. Thus, learning several languages is always appreciable. Understanding English is not harmful or disrespectful. The Home Minister has not demeaned any mother tongue spoken in India but asked the people to use Hindi more in place of English along with one's mother tongue. My question is, what is the harm in using English as it helps to become globally accepted.
    shampasaid

  • #755247

    Points:1
    As mentioned by me earlier the developments in technology can be translated into Hindi without any mistakes also by taking some additional precautions and may be useful. But why all those additional efforts.
    I agree with you, Shampa Sadhya. There is no harm in continuing English which is already in force and all the attempts to bring in Hindi may become unnecessarily adding ghee to the fire. There are already differences among the people of the different regions of the country. The gap will get widened which is not desirable.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #755250

    Points:4
    Hindi is a language derived from Urdu. Bengali, Odisha, Gujarati, Marathi e.t.c all are classified of Indo Aryan languages. They are very similar to Hindi or Urdu. Amit Shah and Modi are interested in Hindi because their language is close to Hindi. If Hindi becomes the National language all our examinations (Job aspirants, higher education entrance tests) are in Hindi. Now north people are more in South India doing lots of Jobs in Railways and other central government sectors they become more and more...South Indian central government employees should ban celebrating Rajabasha day so that the central government will get a heat of that...But they can't do it because there is a danger of losing their jobs and privatization of their sector is also in place...
    Everyone should observe the nature of the Graphite structure because a Graphite has only a tendency to convert into diamond under tremendous temperature and pressure.

  • #755251

    Points:3
    In order to reveal the fact that how difficult for non Hindi speaking students to learn Hindi language I will give an example. In my tenth class time all the students appearing for the exam have a great fear of passing Hindi subject other than any subject. Teachers used to make the students mug up simple meaning questions, blanks, opposites, matching questions to pass atleast in the Hindi exam. But most of the students used to fail in Hindi exam only. Because of high failures in this subject, government used to add some mercy marks to pass them or they used decrease pass marks in Hindi subject. This gives an idea how embarrassing for non Hindi speaking students to learn Hindi.

  • #755252

    Points:3
    This is a political decision. When everything is going fine, what is the need to raise this point? First, they tried to polarize on a religious basis and succeeded for the time being. Now they want to polarize on the language basis. Ramakrishna rightly pointed out that they want to consolidate in the Hindi speaking belt. This is also a ploy to divert the attention of the public from rising prices and inflation.
    " Be Good and Do Good "

  • #755254

    Points:5
    After going through the many responses posted by learned participants, a few bordering on emotional outbursts, I found myself compelled to post my additional points to support my point of view as submitted in the previous response.

    Let us not forget that the topic of GD is – 'Is the call for communicating in Hindi instead of English viable/ acceptable? Yes or No?'

    Thus, it is abundantly and unambiguously clear that we have to comment only on the matter of language of communication of people of India. It has nothing to do with the National Language or Official Language of India. Incidentally even after 75 years of getting independence, no language including Hindi could be declared as the National Language of India due to obvious reasons. As far as the official language is concerned, Hindi and English both are Official languages of the Union, not of all states and Union Territories. Though many states have Hindi as their official language many other states have other regional languages as their official language.

    Focussing on the actual topic of GD, we have to either advocate or oppose the use of Hindi as means of communication of people in India, instead of the English language and not about other irrelevant points.

    People learn and start using any language in addition to their own mother tongue primarily for earning money either by doing business or a job. An IAS or IPS officer having Bengali as his/her mother tongue learns Malayalam also in case Kerala cadre is allotted to him. Similarly, we find Sardar Ji speaking Tamil in Chennai because he is doing business there. People from all parts of India working in Delhi have at least working knowledge of Hindi and even Punjabi in case their business requires so. English officers also had to learn Hindi and other Indian languages during the British rule for successful administration in India. Indian students going to Germany for higher education learn the German language also. Thus, the use of any language for communication depends on the individual circumstances primarily driven by money earning options.

    India is not limited to the cosmopolitan and metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad etc. Let us consider villages of India where majority of people reside. The villagers speak their mother tongue only. Most of them don't know English or Hindi in the non-Hindi speaking states. How they are supposed to learn Hindi and use the same as a means of communication?

    Therefore, the call to use Hindi as a means of communication appears premature and driven by the political compulsions of cajoling the voters of the Hindi speaking belt as only the Hindi speaking belt contributes to the maximum number of parliamentary seats to form government at the centre.

    Leaving aside the fact that my mother tongue is Hindi, I have to submit again and again that the call to use Hindi for communication in India is not a viable proposition. The use of English too as a means of communication has to be limited to the cosmopolitan and metro cities only which are the hubs of jobs and businesses. In the rural areas, where majority of Indians live, use of regional languages will continue as a means of communication in any case irrespective of a call or otherwise.
    Let us encourage each other in sharing knowledge.

  • #755255

    Points:10 (₹ 10)
    Language is one such subject which, if taken up by political parties or other vocal groups, can turn to be a matter of highly emotional reactions. In the present day, social media propagation can bring out the same effects.
    Hence mature political leaders and people at helm of governance have to treat and tread carefully on such subjects.

    However in the present context, as far as I understand the controversy is avoidable and interpreted out of context.
    The remarks came in the context of the Official Languages language committee, whose purpose is to promote that language-Hindi. As far as I understand, the suggestion was targeted on such states and people who were relegating their mother tongue and giving priority to English for common communication. The suggestion was meant to men as not to bring English by replacing by rejecting mother tongue, but bring Hindi as an alternate to English. as a common communication language. As our country has many languages, it needs a common language for official communication and governmental works.

    The suggestion was not at all meant to mean that the individual mother tongues or states languages should be replaced by Hindi. It was actually a call not to degrade or relegate the state' language by replacing it with English. Instead, keeping mother tongues and local language in its own importance slowly move ay from English and enable Hindi as the language for national governance.

  • #755256

    Points:1
    It seems there is a misunderstanding about communicating in Hindi. The present topic is on official, that is, government communications.
    " Be Good and Do Good "

  • #755257

    Points:1
    In context to my opinion shared in #755245, I further want to add that it's not just fashion and beauty shows that India participates in, but India is also a big name in the sports arena. Now and then, there are various tournaments of different sports held outside India. When Indian players can converse in English without hesitation signifies a sign of mastery over a foreign language as a winning stroke. Learning one's mother tongue is natural, but expressing perfectly in a foreign language is the true art of putting forth that no one can rule us. It proves we are equally good in our language and in that language also which once tried to decide the fate of the Indians. So, why should Indians reflect weakness in English when we can prove ourselves otherwise?

    India has produced numerous acclaimed authors and poets in Hindi and other Indian languages, but that does not mean that India has not got good writers and poets in English. Namely: Sarojini Naidu, R.K. Narayan, Sri Aurobindo, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ruskin Bond and many others whose literary work in English is exemplary. Thus, Indians can excel in every field, from the Indian to the global arena, so let Indians spread their wings in every direction without any prohibition.

    I want to conclude my GD by supporting the views represented by the member, Kailash Kumar, in #755254 that there is no substitute for the mother tongue. Hindi cannot be a substitute instead of English for communication. English should not be looked down on or ignored as it has a global value. To excel in any field, a lot of national and international exposure is the need of the hour, and for that, English has no alternative for communication. To promote Hindi, one cannot deny the importance of English for communication. English has a global reach, so learning it is necessary.
    shampasaid

  • #755258

    Points:1
    We are Bhartiya and the name India was given by the Greeks and Romans because they could only reach till Indus river. We feel proud to be a part of this oldest and most modest civilization. We may be a Gujarati, Bengali, Tamilian, Maharashtrian, etc. but before all we are Indian. We Indians have certain obligations towards our country. One of the obligations is to give a national language to our country. A national language is required to develop, academically, economically as well as emotionally.

    If we talk about the languages of India, there is no other language like Hindi which is gaining popularity also at the international level. All other languages are confined to a particular region. But the Hindi language is widespread in India and speak and understand by most people. So it can replace English as a communication medium. Further, if Hindi is made the main communication medium and/or a national language, it will not decrease the importance of other languages in India.

    Members say that in the beauty pageants, participants of different countries many time use translators and it is shameful. But I don't think that it is a shame. They speak their national language and represent their country. What is wrong with this? Most the countries whether it is Russia, Germany, France and China speak their language. They do not require any other language because they are developed countries. So, in this way, if India will have Hindi as a national language it will be a step forward to being a developed nation.

    Some member says that Sanskrit should be used as a communication medium. It is also a good proposal. But for people, who have a problem/difficulty in learning the Hindi language, how they will learn Sanskrit is a question here. Because Hindi is very simple to learn as compared to Sanskrit.

    Learning multiple languages is very common and popular also. I think most people know more than one language. Nowadays in schools, some additional languages like French or Sanskrit are being taught in addition to Hindi and English. So, learning a language is not very difficult when it is introduced into the school curriculum from the beginning.

    So, I conclude my GD here with the remark that Hindi can be a communication medium in India in place of English because it is spoken/understood by most people in India. If India's population living in villages do not understand Hindi, then how can they understand English. But still, it is easier to learn Hindi as compared to English. Hence communicating in Hindi is viable/ acceptable instead of English.

  • #755259

    Points:5
    Every sovereign country has its own official Flag, Logo, Anthem, official language, its own currency, and many other things which holds and identifies its independence and sovereignty.

    As each sovereign nation has its own special uniqueness and issues, there is the necessity of such specifics.
    Just because each country trades with different countries, they do not adopt a common currency like Dollar or pound or Ruble. But there will be some mechanism for common trade matters. It was somewhat recently that Indian Rupee was given a unique symbol by our Government in the similar fashion like USD. Pound Yen etc.

    Just because we need a common language even to communicate between different States in this country, that does not mean it need to be a foreign language. Those who drafted our Constitution had foreseen this and wanted to have a more local oriented language as the nation's official language. But just as many vestiges of British rule are left behind and remain as remnants of our slavery and subjecting us still with an inferiority complex, English remains one such relic our subjugation.
    Hindi is more near and close to most of the Indian languages than the absolutely different and strange English. It is a language born , evolved ,grown and used in India since many thousand years. Hindi and almost all other Indian languages (except say Tamil or one or two other languages) have their roots in India's own ancient original language Sanskrit. Thus except for say Tamil ll other languages have many commonalities. Many of the Indian languages have almost similar grammatical structure. But in the case of English it is so different and sometimes illogical too.

    So it will be more easy for any person from any state in India to learn Hindi rather than learn English. Most words in one's mother tongue(India language) can be represented in the alphabets of Hindi or any other Indian language,. But the same cannot be done with English.
    What I meant to say here is that as far as the suitability and eligibility is concerned Hindi ranks much more higher ,easier, suitable and compatible than English.

    So the present brouhaha of opposition is born out of sheer opposing mentality. Negation for the sake of negation. This is especially virulent as the States like Tamil Nadu, Bengal are ruled by parties opposed to the party ruling at the centre.
    I would have supported the opposition if the aim was to thrust Hindi with force overnight The present statement by Amit Shah in the Official Languages Committee meeting was just another forward step in the series of steps taken by our government and our national leaders during independence and after to implement Hindi as official language gradually replacing Hindi.
    The blind opposition to this routine statement in the right context is just another in the series of the anti-national stand of certain political leaders to cement their political hold in their own states.

  • #755268

    Points:2
    #755259, India is a very big country and the different states of its constitution are equivalent or more in dimension than many many countries of the world. Theoretically speaking our each state is equivalent to one country. In the case of foreign countries , the dimension of the countries less, the population less and so it is convenient to follow one single language. But India is a union of so many big states that have their own culture and ethnic languages. So here it is not possible to follow single language as large section of people put to discomfort. Unity in diversity is the best suitable concept for India. For example, suddenly if the government orders all people to follow Hindu religion as it is the major religion in India means and is it have any sense? It is the same case with Hindi forcibly imposing on non-Hindi speaking people.

    Even after 75 years of independence no political party ruling the country was able to decide the national language because the strong diversity factor of Indian culture. The political parties in the past have taken the issue rationally and thought more about the unity and integrity of the country rather than their personal gains. But the present political situation is not like that and they want major selfish gains from such issues. Mr.Venkateswaran sir, you are saying the present situation is because sheer opposing mentality of political parties. But why don't you think in the other way that to create vote bank the present government is raking this issue. Visually we are seeing the present ruling party has its strong base on Hindu vote bank, and on religious background. So it will be another plank for the party to garner vote bank from northern belt and that is a deciding factor to win in Indian elections.
    Another thing you brought out is it is easy to learn Hindi than English. It is true with people belonging to Hindi mother tongue. But for non-Hindi speaking people the difficulty to learn any other language is the same. In the present global village concept, English is a higher value than in Hindi in getting jobs anywhere in the world. Most of the Indians who are working as IT specialists, doctors, technical specialists, business magnets etc. because of their communication skills in English but not Hindi. In the modern trend of global village simply I don't touch English because of my patriotic fervor or political inclination don't do any good to the people.

  • #755269

    Points:1
    Although the GD is over, the thread is yet to be locked so I would like to take an opportunity to draw Dr Deepali Gangwar's attention.

    In her concluding post she mentioned that I have opined that to take a translator is shameful. Kindly go through the post #755245 properly and then make a point. I have clearly mentioned that taking a traslator is not shameful, but when Indians can do without it, then it becomes a matter of pride because of being conversant in a foreign language too. Knowledge rules and makes a strong impact.
    shampasaid

  • #755270

    Points:1
    Yes, it is good the Indians are conversant in English and other foreign languages too. But it does not mean that based on this we can not make Hindi as a communication medium. Languages are just a medium of communication through which we can express our views. So being conversant in English is different to the knowledge of subjects, that actually make an impact.

  • #755271

    Points:1
    I don't want to comment further as the GD is over. I would request you, Dr Gangwar, not to point out wrongly. Thorough reading is a must before putting words in someone's mouth.
    shampasaid


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