DNA Edit: Storm in a teacup – Tamil politicians need to avoid knee-jerk reactions

Political parties in Tamil Nadu have an old axe to grind — possibly, all without any justification. They have objected to a draft of the National Education Policy, which had suggested the better implementation of the three-language formula in schools. The only added emphasis was a note in the draft that said that English had become the language of the elite, the only criterion to determine whether someone is ‘educated’. That, the note said, had resulted in the marginalisation of large sections of society based on language, keeping them out of higher paying jobs. 

While recommending the three-language formula till the secondary level, the draft points out that those students interested in pursuing foreign language(s), however, will have to opt for them as electives and not in lieu of the three-language formula. The proposals have come at a time when states like UP have introduced the English language in schools at the nursery level itself. By no stretch of imagination can this be called ‘imposing Hindi’ on a non-Hindi speaking population, or tinkering with the three-language formula that has stood the test of times. For one, it is no more than a draft at this stage, which has been circulated for public reaction. To suggest that this is tantamount to imposition of Hindi would be to politicise the issue, which parties in Tamil Nadu can do well without. It is inadvisable to rake up emotive issues, particularly when they do not have a basis. 

Some leaders in the state have gone so far as to invoke the threat of the infamous 1965 anti-Hindi agitation when Tamil Nadu and parts of South India had burned, while politicians were playing the fiddle. The agitations involved several mass protests and riots in Tamil Nadu concerning the official status of Hindi in the state. In a multi-lingual country like India, language has always been a touchy issue, which the leaders have handled with a great deal of care. The adoption of an official language for the Indian Republic was a hotly debated issue during the framing of the Indian Constitution, post-Independence. After an exhaustive and divisive debate, Hindi was adopted as the official language of India with English continuing as an associate official language for a period of 15 years, after which Hindi would become the sole official language. 

The new Constitution came into effect on January 26, 1950. Efforts by the Indian government to make Hindi the sole official language after 1965 were not acceptable to many non-Hindi Indian states, who wanted the continued use of English. After the movement threatened to disrupt the peace with acts of sabotage, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru enacted the Official Languages Act in 1963 to allay unfounded fears. Therefore, to use a threat, harking back to the bad old days, is unfortunate. The then HRD minister Prakash Javadekar has rightly issued a statement, saying that the “Modi government is for the promotion of all Indian languages”, adding for good measure that these are mere recommendations and not a government policy. The matter should ideally, rest there.