Referring to sporadic opposition to Hindi hegemony over regional languages, D.H. Shankaramurthy, Chairman of the Legislative Council, said that those who oppose the spread of Hindi in the Indian sub-continent were opposed to national unity. He was speaking at a State-level high school Hindi teachers conference at the auditorium of University of Agricultural Sciences here on Thursday.
He quoted Mahatma Gandhi to justify his arguments that Hindi language would bind different communities with different socio-cultural backgrounds and traditional practices under a single entity of Indian nationalism.
“Realising the emergence of Hindi as a link language during the freedom movement itself, Mahatma Gandhi had foreseen the potential development of the language as a tool to unite different communities with diverse linguistic and socio-cultural backgrounds in the Indian subcontinent under the broader Indian nationalism.
“Unfortunately, many people strongly opposed the spread of the language by viewing it as a hegemony over regional and local language,” he said.
By opposing Hindi, he continued, they are not advocating for popularising and protecting their own mother tongues, but for helping English gain ground on the Indian soil.
“Hence, Hindi opponents are essentially opposed not only to national unity but also to the progress of the native languages,” he added.
Appeal
Attributing the backwardness of Hyderabad Karnataka region to the prolonged rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad in the pre-Independence period, Mr. Shankaramurthy appealed to Tanveer Sait, Raichur district in-charge Minister, who was on the stage, to address the basic issues such as roads, drains and drinking water, before his term ends.
B.V. Naik, Lok Sabha member, Shivaraj Patil and Pratap Gowda Patil, MLAs, Sharanappa Mattur, Amarnath Patil and Basavaraj Patil Itagi, MLCs, A. Vasanth Kumar, Chairman of Tungabhadra Command Area Development Authority, and others were present.
