COVER STORY
The idea that Hindi is spoken by a majority of Indians is a claim that has to be ferociously contested. Only 26 per cent of the Indian population selected Hindi as their mother tongue.
Outlook Magazine - 9 May 2022
As advocates of regional languages gear up to face the threat of a Hindi deluge, they are also waking up to the existential threat of internal decay. We look at the contradictions kindled by the controversy.
Hindi Diwas: The government should be concerned that the younger generation dislikes language imperialism
In India’s East and Northeast, the fear of losing linguistic identity has often led to prolonged agitations and violence among communities which share many social and cultural affinities
Hindi Diwas: With Hindi being pushed by the Centre as Rashtra Bhasha, the spectre of language imperialism haunts the Indian Union
Not only did the Centre’s push for a five-language formula for J&K in 2020 end Urdu’s status as its sole official language, it is also seen as an intermediary step towards Hindi imposition in the future
Hindi Diwas: Efforts to promote Hindi overseas have been ongoing for decades. And both the UPA and NDA governments have strived to have the language adopted officially by the United Nations.
Caught between twin pincers of the market and a communalised polity, Urdu is in death throes
Assam’s immigrant Muslims are owning the racial slur Miya to assert their identity and express dissent
Throughout the Republic’s history, several states have seen protests against the imposition of Hindi. Can there be a national language of a multilingual country?
The move to make Hindi the national language is a political project, the language becoming a tool for constructing national unity
Hindi Diwas: The government should be concerned that the younger generation dislikes language imperialism
In India’s East and Northeast, the fear of losing linguistic identity has often led to prolonged agitations and violence among communities which share many social and cultural affinities
Hindi Diwas: With Hindi being pushed by the Centre as Rashtra Bhasha, the spectre of language imperialism haunts the Indian Union
Not only did the Centre’s push for a five-language formula for J&K in 2020 end Urdu’s status as its sole official language, it is also seen as an intermediary step towards Hindi imposition in the future
Hindi Diwas: Efforts to promote Hindi overseas have been ongoing for decades. And both the UPA and NDA governments have strived to have the language adopted officially by the United Nations.
Caught between twin pincers of the market and a communalised polity, Urdu is in death throes
Assam’s immigrant Muslims are owning the racial slur Miya to assert their identity and express dissent
Throughout the Republic’s history, several states have seen protests against the imposition of Hindi. Can there be a national language of a multilingual country?
The move to make Hindi the national language is a political project, the language becoming a tool for constructing national unity
OTHER STORIES
Hindi Diwas: Even the otherwise Hindi-friendly Malayali rises to resist the imposition of Hindi on them
Catholics support Romi Konkani because the script is used in the church and tiatr, but Devanagari Konkani has government backing
Despite several agitations by political parties—some violent—the Marathi language is on a downslide. It will take more than government efforts to promote the language
In a country as linguistically diverse as India, with its treasure trove of regional literature and a growing tribe of English speakers, translation as a literary form is gaining ground
Gurmukhi now dominates Punjab’s public spaces. Does this demonstrate an assertion of a regional identity shaped by Partition, reorganisation and insurgency?
Transgenders face more mental and physical violence, as well as social stigma and discrimination, than any other community.
How does it feel to be the last speaker of a language? Or to witness a situation where the person talking to you is the very last speaker of her mother tongue?
