The crisis caused in non-Hindi speaking regions as a result of the draft education policy has been defused. But it cannot be termed a complete reversal (Page 1, “Mandatory Hindi goes out of draft education policy”, and Editorial, “Crisis defused”, both June 4). Insistence on one common language for the country is impractical. Apart from the mother tongue, English functions well as a link language. Considering the diverse nature of our country, it would be ideal to have only the two-language formula — mother tongue and English. However, this should not prevent individuals from learning other languages.
D. Sethuraman,
Chennai
One cannot discount the fact that Hindi is culturally alien to the south. In such a situation, it is baffling why the Union government repeatedly followed attempts to ignore these strong sentiments. The south has done well economically and culturally without the need for Hindi. Language is to be learnt out of love and necessity, not because of a policy.
Anand Aravamudhan,
Chennai
Straitjacketing a linguistic and culturally rich pluralistic nation like India into a Hindi-land is wrong. The insistence on Hindi already impacts the job prospects of non-Hindi speakers in some areas of employment such as banks and the railways. The three-language formula was never earnestly implemented in the Hindi-speaking States. One hopes that this government is not pursuing what George Orwell ominously hinted at: “Control the language and you control the people.”
H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
Why impose it on others who are not willing? Imposition of Hindi will only alienate the Central government from those States. Let learning a language be one’s personal choice. Dictating sensitive issues such as what to learn and food habits will only divide this country and disturb the peace. The government’s focus should be to unite the people and not sow the seeds of hatred.
T. Anand Raj,
Chennai
Any language is an asset and the south, especially Tamil Nadu, has suffered in blocking the entry of Hindi. As a result, many a youngster has missed numerous opportunities on the job front. When Hindi is important, it becomes a necessity to know the language. Considering a language as taboo is being short-sighted.
T.V. Sreekumar,
Puducherry
