When a country has its own currency, flag, and national language, it is called a nation. Language is all important. It is the common language which binds the people together. It gives them a sense of oneness.
It develops in them the spirits of unity. Our country, in which so many disruptive elements are at work, urgently needs a national language. Unless all the people feel themselves to be the sons and daughters of the same motherland, our freedom itself would be in peril. Our country, which achieved its freedom fifty years ago, can become strong and powerful only through a common national language.
India is a large country both in area and population. Her people differ from each other in their ways of living. A Bengali can be recognized from a Punjabi even at a miles distance. Their languages are also different. The languages spoken and written in Southern India are totally different from those used in the North. So, when the question of the selection of a national language comes to the fore, difficulties arise. In this way the size of the country and its population are the greatest obstacles in the way of the selection of the national language.
Whatever may be the difficulties, some language will have to be chosen as the national language. Administration of the country cannot be run smoothly without it. In the interest of the nation, some tests should be laid down and the language satisfying those tests should be made the national language. The tests may be of easiness and popularity. It should be such as may be learnt easily by all. It should be the language which is used by the majority of the people of the country. It should be such as is nearer to other regional languages.
The government has accepted Hindi as the national language of the country. This is quite correct, for Hindi is spoken and understood by the majority of the people. It is the language of the biggest states of India. The literature of Hindi is quite rich. Hindi and Sanskrit go hand in hand. With only a little effort one can acquire a working knowledge of Hindi. When compared with other regional languages, Hindi is better qualified to be the national language.
Some thinkers of the country put forward their own objections to Hindi. They believe, if Hindi is made the national language, India will not progress in science and technology. It will remain a backward country. Her relations with foreign nations will not be as happy as they are now. They fear, if once Hindi becomes the national language, the Hindi speaking people will become the rulers of the non-Hindi people. It was this fear which resulted in anti-Hindi riots in the south. There was much arson, bloodshed, and looting, Such fears are stumbling blocks in the way of the progress of Hindi, which is the constitutionally recognized national language.
But such criticism of Hindi is not all unfair. There is some truth in it. The interest of the people who live in non-Hindi speaking areas must be safeguarded. Intensive efforts should be made by the Government to popularize Hindi in these areas. We are glad to note that the Government is already doing so. More and more people are learning Hindi there.
Arrangement for free coaching of Hindi must be made. In the transitional period, in which the people learn Hindi, they should be given some sort of concession in their services. Hindi should acquire the status of the national language only when it has been fully developed and even people in the South have acquired a working knowledge of it. Under no circumstances should it be imposed by force, as this is likely to weaken the unity of the country.
Though the problem is a complicated one, yet it is not such as cannot be solved. So far there has been no clear-cut and definite policy in this respect. The controversy which has been going on regarding this subject must be ended once for all. The more the arguments and counter-arguments on the topic, the more complicated the problem becomes. The government should frame a definite policy in this respect and implement it in right earnest. Under the circumstances, the three language formula, worked out during the time of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru , seems to be the best course to follow.
The non-Hindi speaking states should study Hindi, while in the Hindi speaking states some one or the other regional language must be taught as a compulsory subject. English should continue to be taught all over the country for the time being. This formula should be accepted by all the states. The Government should see to it that it is faithfully implemented in all parts of the country.