What can be achieved through persuasion should not be imposed through force. Hindi and Tamil Nadu, more than any other State, have a peculiar relationship. Tamilians are increasingly becoming conversant with Hindi through Bollywood films, television, interactions with Hindi-speaking Indians or from living in parts of the country where Hindi is the local language. However, Dravida politicians often indulge in Hindi-bashing for cheap popularity, implicating the Centre in a so-called to impose Hindi on the State. Ordinary Tamilians have no real objection in learning and speaking Hindi, so long as Tamil is accorded a prime place. Which it has been all along. The latest controversy surrounding Hindi stemmed from a misconceived clause in the newly-unveiled draft National Education Policy.
The three-language formula provided that aside from the local language and English, Hindi ought to be studied in Grade 6. DMK politicians were quick to read in the draft NEP a bid to impose Hindi. Given that there is no disagreement over the primacy of the local language, in this case, Tamil, the study of Hindi from Grade 6 should not have been problematic at all. Having first come to power in the mid-60s by arousing popular passions against the Centre for allegedly trying to impose Hindi, the DMK was not ready to let go of an old winning trick. Even at the time, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had to retreat when DMK-instigated riots threatened to blow into a larger national crisis. Since then, the Centre has stated on numerous occasions that the three-language formula was not an attempt to force Hindi on unwilling States. But nonetheless, the three-language formula was there to stay.
The draft NEP provided that in the Hindi-speaking States in addition to Hindi and English another regional Indian language could be studied. Due to the drummed-up hatred against Hindi, Tamil Nadu did not implement the three-language formula, insisting on the study of only two languages. This may harm Tamil children, depriving them of a very useful link language nationally, but so long as it serves the interests of Tamil politicians nobody is bothered. Instead of clarifying: a) that the draft NEP is still a draft, and, b) study of Hindi from Grade 6 could be entirely voluntary, the drafting committee chairman K Kasturirangan, the well-known scientist, revised the draft to accommodate the concerns of the Tamil politicians. Given that Tamil Nadu follows only two-language formula anyway, there could not have been any question of forcing Hindi on the State. Notably, the chairman of the drafting committee revised the draft to take on board Tamil protests but without consulting other members of the committee.
Given that a newly-installed government wouldn’t want a crisis of such a divisive nature to divert its energies, maybe the revision in the draft was the best solution to end the controversy. But at some stage, hopefully, more enlightened Tamil politicians will appreciate the benefit of following the three-language formula which has both Tamil and Hindi along with English in the school syllabus. Children at a young age can learn language skills better. Since Hindi is spoken and understood in more than three-fourths of the country, the place of regional languages along with English is secure, petulantly depriving school children an opportunity to study Hindi is in the ultimate analysis a disservice to the Tamil children.
