Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has really fired up a recent argument on the situation of Hindi in India, specifying that it’s “not a national language, but an official language.” The assertion, made all through a speech at a university commencement occasion in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has really attracted mixed responses on social media websites.
What did R Ashwin state?
Addressing the goal market at an unique design college, Ashwin concerned with trainees in English, Tamil, andHindi When met a lukewarm motion to Hindi, he claimed, “English students in the house, give me a yay. Tamil (students cheer loudly)… okay… Hindi (very little noise from the crowd)… I wanted to say Hindi is an official language and not the national language.”
#Watch | தமிழுக்கு அதிர்ந்த அரங்கம்.. இந்திக்கு SILENT.. “இந்தி தேசிய மொழி இல்ல”.. பதிவு செய்த அஸ்வின்!
சென்னையில் உள்ள தனியார் பொறியியல் கல்லூரியில் நடைபெற்ற பட்டமளிப்பு விழாவில் மாஸ் காட்டிய கிரிக்கெட் வீரர் அஸ்வின்#SunNews | #Chennai | #Ashwin | @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/TeWPzWAExQ
— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) January 9, 2025
Language debate in India
Ashwin’s assertion has reignited discussions in regards to the standing of Hindi, a contentious problem in India’s multilingual society. The Indian Constitution designates Hindi as an official language, however not a nationwide language. Hindi Diwas, celebrated on September 14, marks the Constituent Assembly’s determination to undertake Hindi as an official language of the Union authorities.
According to a report in News18, as per the Census 2011, 43.63 per cent of Indians think about Hindi their mom tongue. However, resistance to its perceived imposition stays sturdy, significantly in non-Hindi-speaking states like Tamil Nadu.
Political backdrop
The Opposition has typically accused the BJP-led authorities on the Centre of making an attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking areas. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has been vocal on the problem, condemning the celebration of Hindi Month in his state.
In 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s feedback on “one nation, one language” stimulated throughout the nation demonstrations. Shah afterward clarified his place, specifying, “Mother tongue does not mean Hindi… But there should be one language in the country, and if someone wants to learn another language, it should be Hindi.”
A comparable dispute emerged final month all through Diljit Dosanjh’s present in Bengaluru, when a feminine’s account on X thorough simply how the event rose proper right into a “Kannada language row.” Tanisha Sabherwal asserted she was pressed and vocally abused by a further participant after pleasantly asking her to relocate aside.
With inputs from corporations.
