Ever since Ajay Devgn tweeted claiming that Hindi is our national language, a massive debate has sparked in the online world. Many of the arguments floating around are based on incorrect facts. Firstly, India doesn’t have a national language. Hindi is the official language of the Union, but that doesn’t make it the national language.
Secondly, people hailing from North India expect Indians across the country to speak in Hindi. Why? In a linguistically diverse country such as ours, every state has its own language and dialect. In Maharashtra you have Marathi, in Bengal you have Bengali, in Karnataka you have Kannada, and so on.
The recent imposition of speaking Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking population is a gross insult to our country’s cultural diversity. For example, a video of a few Hindi-speaking men harassing a Kannadiga woman on a ferry outraged several people on Twitter.
“Hindi bol, Hindi. We are Hindustanis,” a man says.
The man can be seen forcefully telling the woman to speak in Hindi and goes on to chant ‘Vande Maataram’ – which is even more hilarious because the phrase ‘Vande Maataram’ is in Sanskritised Bengali and belongs to a poem composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, a Bengali, in the 1870s.
Have a look at the video here:
A freakin cheap bozo shows his crass mindset to a #Kannadiga Sister!
She says #HindiIsNotNationalLanguage👏🏾
Uncultured morons in this country prove that hindi is the choice to utter filth🤦🏽Surely those fighting for the language must fight for #education of their children first 🤦🏽 pic.twitter.com/LyLkevDB2c— Dr. T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) April 28, 2022
People online couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. But this incident also left many concerned. Here’s what they said:
irony is the words “Vande Mataram” are not Hindi.
— Kaushik (@kukatpally_1) April 28, 2022
Don’t create rift between people in the name of language and cultural lines,it would lead to another bifurcation in subcontinent,let us enjoy all the cultural and linguistic differences but don’t force anything on people who’s not willing to accept it wholeheartedly.
— Vinay ssmb (@rvinaykumar03) April 28, 2022
India doesnt hv National language,Hindi is not official language, it is just one of 23 regional languages. We,#Dravidians people from South India will not tolerate if hindi reach our land in any form.We opposed hindi imposition few decades ago, and we will stand united against it
— Cow Belt🚩🇮🇳சங்கி பாஜக தொண்டன் (@PeAmbPaba) April 28, 2022
Illiterate people , Even am an Hindustani ,but that does not mean that I need to talk in Hindhi always as it is not my native language.
— Yogesh (@Yogesh33293064) April 28, 2022
NorthIndians always consider Kannadigas as below them. Kannadigas are simple people. NorthIndians think they can come to Bengaluru and behave like bullies
— TheStatueofSardar (@SardPatelGhost) April 28, 2022
Just look how disrespectful that loud man is.
The belief is that simple act of speaking in hindi makes you superior to those who don’t.
This belief needs to be eliminated.— Som Kamoji (@SomKamoji) April 29, 2022
When you disrespect other cultures and consider yourself superior, it is then when a barrier is created between the people of the nation. This harms the unity of our people, something we so proudly boast about.