Shiban Khaibri
Struggling to find its due place in the country even after six decades of our independence, Hindi in Devanagiri script continues to be in a state of neglect. Hindi is a language of India spoken by at least 51.3%, add to it a mix of Hindi and Urdu popularly called as Hindustani, the percentage goes appreciably high. Is it not a travesty that excepting a ritual of celebrating the “Hindi week” by some Government offices and branches of a few public sector undertakings in September every year, that also not in all states, Hindi by and large is conveniently ignored in its promotion, propagation and adaptation by not only those who should have done it extensively being in Government but even by those in socials, cultural and literary organizations? We continue to be swayed by the complex of getting projected as “highly literate” by feigning to speak and write, preferably if not only, in English language. English undoubtedly is a global language and we cannot do without it but we cannot disown our own Hindi as well. Again why should we not feel deriving the pride in speaking in our Hindi language the way a German feels speaking in his German language whether at home or outside, like French, or a Russian or a Chinese or Japanese and the like. There are numerous examples to put forth the point but this writer remembers a satirist remark by the veteran Bollywood actor Devanand who wondered as to why “Hindi film is discussed by most of us through English language”. This can be corroborated by how most of our film awards are conducted at home where we Indians, the recipients and givers of trophies and awards, are lavish in expressing ourselves in English rather than in Hindi. Not only that, see even our cricketers talking to media persons in “chaste English” when the media person, the players as well as the audience are all Indians. Perhaps waning is that pride in us, the way when heart throb of millions of Indians Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee spoke in Hindi at a UN millennium summit on Oct4, 1977. Worth eulogizing are the efforts of the Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi who has preferred to speak only in Hindi at public meetings. On the contrary, Dr. Manmohan Singh rarely attempted to speak in Hindi language in any official or non official meetings. Former Union Home Minister Mr. Chidambaram who coincidentally happened also to be in charge of promotion of Hindi even rarely did not speak in Hindi.
The compulsion of demonstration of English is so much that the accent, pronunciation and even grammar at times become mute casualties. Two small regional political parties in early 90’s had political bickering which we call “democratic differences” and one of the leaders of one party while criticizing the other got a whisper from an activist and with a smile he changed the tone saying,” Batt we have bitter relasun with the …….. Party.” He wanted to say, “But we have better relations with the ….Party.” That is why the critics call such a stuff of English as “Hinglish”. If he could have tried in Hindi, he could have communicated in a better way. English is a language loved to be spoken by most of the people, we in India not an exception , but that cannot replace Hindi which we shall have to adopt and own with an air of enthusiasm and a national pride but at a speed unlike the snail’s one during all these 62 years. It is a language which can emotionally unite Indians and result in a tangible true national integration as through it we can communicate among ourselves. Inhibitions and reservations, if still persisting in any pockets or areas of our country, need to be discarded. Hindi needs to be given its due place and recognition in India.
Section 343 of our constitution clearly states, “The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagiri script.” It sounds ludicrous that even after clear cut provisions in the constitution; English continues to be bossing over Hindi in our official communications. In 1949 it was mentioned that for a period of 15 years say up to 1963 only, English was supposed to be used as official language but even after the enactment of the Official Languages Act in the same year, unfortunately in some southern parts of the country, politics in languages was indulged in which resulted in protests and riots. Some amendments consequently were brought in the said Act which, by and large, made the strong cause of Hindi turn weak. It appeared that after walking a step forward, two were taken backwards making it explicit that English would continue to be used till the time all such states that are not “ready” for its use agree by official resolutions followed by ratification by the Parliament. This scenario has not only given latitude to such states to turn very casual rather indifferent towards Hindi but preferring using English has become now a precedent. There are no qualms about using the mother of Indian languages; the Sanskrit (as in rituals and worshipping) but only Hindi, to bring about any perceptible change in it, the ruling dispensations in Delhi mostly the Congress did nothing, absolutely nothing. Yes, but it was Indira Gandhi who had made certain rules for implementation of official language in 1977 which infused some life into it. On monthly, quarterly basis, the progress of use and implementation of Hindi in official work has got to be sent by Government offices and PSU establishments to the Department of Official Languages under the Union Home Ministry. How much correct information is sent in such reports is known to all. 90% work being done in Hindi is shown in the columns of the formats and that is all. Parliamentary groups with requisite powers are required to “inspect and verify” such claimed implementation in offices and establishments but in how many states and how much vigorously – is the main question.
However, the Apex court’s judgment of Dec 1, 2011 in the case of Mithilesh Kumar Singh versus Union of India and others has historical importance as far as the regard for the official language Hindi is concerned. The Honb’le court set aside the punishment awarded to the petitioner Mithilesh by his employers because they had refused to provide him the charge sheet and other relevant papers in Hindi. That sounds like a clear signal to the officialdom and the top bureaucracy to adopt and own Hindi in official matters.
The mother tongues as spoken in different parts of the country are to be respected, promoted and taught in schools, their literature to be enriched and preserved but such mother tongues cannot take the place of a national language. National language or “Raj Bhasha” which is Hindi cannot be afforded to be relegated to background under the pretext of it having an adverse effect on mother, regional languages. Pakistan’s position in this regard is better than ours in that Urdu is the national language of that country though hundreds of different languages, regional, tribal etc are spoken by its people. We must love, own, promote and communicate in Hindi in the truest spirits of the pride of our national language and it shall surely result in “Ek Hriday ho Bharat Janani” or result in the strongest national integration.
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