On February 21, 1952, students and activists in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) protested against the Pakistani government’s decision to impose Urdu as the only official language of the country thereby suppressing the Bengali language and culture. Resistance to the linguistic hegemony led to violence and killing of several protestors. In response to the tragic event of 1952, UNESCO declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day. The aim was to preserve, protect, promote linguistic and cultural diversity; and promote multilingualism.
Diversity is the law of nature and smothering it will inflict enormous damage on social peace and cohesion. The ongoing obsession for imposing uniformity in our social, cultural and political life is a threat to democracy. The thrusting of uniformity and over-riding the plural and multicultural ethos of our country is dangerous for our future.
The quixotic notion of one nation, one language, is nothing more than to suppress the linguistic diversity prevailing in the country for several centuries. ‘One nation, one language’ ideology cannot be imposed onto the length and the breadth of this multilingual country. It is a misconception and a myth to argue that a language represents a country and that linguistic unity is necessary to maintain historical and cultural continuity. On the contrary, linguistic hegemony can be a threat to nationalism. Rather than uniting, it is bringing the nation closest to dividing. Equating a nation to a language is for pushing a political agenda.
India is an agglomeration of ethno-linguistic groups and has a harmonious symphony of linguistic pluralism. According to Sir George Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India (1903-1923) there are 179 languages and 544 dialects in India. A total of 1,652 'mother tongues' were listed in the 1961 Census reports, 184 of which had a speaker population of 10,000 or more. Building a shared cultural legacy in India requires leveraging its immense linguistic variety. Imposing one language will rob India’s multifaceted glory. It will destroy her beauty and threaten her unity and stability that lie in plurality and unity in diversity.
Imposing one language and the neglect of the others in a multilingual country would be catastrophic. Stubbornness over language has led to fragmentation of nations. In 1956 Sri Lanka through the Official Language Act declared Sinhalese as the sole official language with the exclusion of Tamil. This triggered hatred and enmity between the Sinhalese and the Tamils leading to the demand for a separate Tamil nation. Sinhalese was spoken by 70% of the population while Tamil was spoken by 29% of the country’s population. For the Sinhalese the Act symbolised Sri Lanka’s identity as a Sinhala nation State, whereas it epitomised minority oppression for the Tamils. The discriminatory Act alienated the Tamil community from the mainstream causing frictions leading to decades-long civil war.
Similar is the story of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan (formerly West Pakistan) and Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan) were two distinct cultural zones. The former was a Punjabi speaking territory and the latter was a Bengali speaking territory. To unify them under a single Islamic linguistic umbrella, the government of Pakistan imposed Urdu on East Pakistan as the sole national language. The decision ignited the violent Bengali language movement catalysing Bengali nationalism and the subsequent separation and formation of Bangladesh.
In contrast, Singapore and South Africa have prospered because they accommodated linguistic diversity. Both the countries are multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic States. Singapore, which has multi-ethnic population (Chinese, Malay and Indian) resisted the demand to have Chinese as the national language and opted for English at the time of its independence in 1965. English saved it from falling apart and made the city state a global business hub. South Africa is emerging as a leader of the African continent because of its accommodative linguistic policy. The national anthem of this Rainbow Nation is a five-language (Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English) lyrical composition making it the most unique anthem in the world.
Imposing linguistic uniformity and homogeneity in the name of national integration is specious. Linguistic hegemony has no place in a country as multicultural, multi-religious, multi-linguistic, multi-sartorial and multi-culinary as India. Foisting one language on the entire country by discrediting and suppressing linguistic diversity would initiate the phonocide of other Indian languages. Linguistic chauvinism, would erase knowledge systems and cultures. The unity of India can only be guarded by upholding linguistic pluralism.
In 1994, when I went to Varanasi, for my studies in Indian philosophy and culture, I enrolled myself at the Allahabad university and chose Hindi literature as one of my subjects. In fact, I had almost forgotten the Devanagari alphabet. I had to brush up my knowledge of the script. During the lectures, when my Hindi teacher, Prof R B Singh would share jokes in class, I wasn’t able to enjoy them because I lacked the knowledge of the Hindi language. However, seeing my classmates laugh, I would also laugh along. Despite all these challenges, I learnt the Hindi language, developed an appreciation for literature, and fell in love with it. I love Hindi, but I would detest making Hindi as the single national language.
(The writer is a member of the Society of Pilar. He is a Clinical Psychologist and the Editor of 'Fr Agnel’s Call', a monthly mission and youth magazine)