India is the second most populous nation in the world next only to China whose inhabitants have different cultures professing different religious beliefs and speak various languages. Constitution of India guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens and prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Due to progress and development, the world has become a global village and none can afford to live in isolation anymore. For communication purposes English is used by many people worldwide and many non-English speaking countries recognise its role. At the state and Union Territory level, regional languages are used. Hindi is gaining importance in many parts of the country except South India and North East India. Therefore, proficiency in languages is beneficial for students, business people and travelers. Nevertheless, learning of languages should be voluntarily and wilfully but not by imposition which may result in unforeseen and destructive consequences, Indians at large have been living peacefully and amicably, never hesitating to unitedly fight against disruptive forces threatening the country’s unity and integrity.
About a decade after India attained independence there was a surreptitious attempt to make Hindi the national language brushing aside the sentiments of non-Hindi speaking states, especially in the South and North East. Fortunately, wise and far-sighted national leaders who empathised with the fear and anger of minorities poured cold water into the burning inferno and peace was finally restored which prevailed for many years. The composite state of Assam disintegrated into many segments because hawks in the then Congress government, who dominated the party, ignored the warnings of their colleagues who included Chief Minister Bimal Prasad Chaliha and a few Cabinet Ministers by taking steps in declaring Assamese as the official language of the state in 1960. The Eastern India Tribal Union (EITU) withdrew its support to the government and its tribal ministers resigned immediately. From then on, the fight for separate Hill State continued unceasingly with fervor until demand was met. These are lessons to be learnt by our leaders and therefore need not hurry at all unless and until dialogues and consultations are frequently held with stakeholders. Social fabrics that bind the nation should be strengthened with compassion and sincerity and not with pretensions and hypocrisy. Learning a language or languages ought to be wilfully and not forcefully. In European countries like France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, including Great Britain and others, students in educational institutions learn one or two languages besides their mother tongue out of their own sweet will.
Recently, a statement by Union Minister Amit Shah on Hindi is a matter of great concern for tribals of the region. What further alarmed was the recruitment of 22,000 Hindi teachers in the eight states of North East who will teach the subject since these states are alleged to have agreed to make Hindi compulsory in schools up to Class X. None can dispute the fact that knowledge of languages is of great advantage but to make it mandatory at this juncture is premature. Young children and kids are already overburdened with many compulsory subjects at present and hence this issue should be taken into consideration.