Johar to all!
Colonization is a term borrowed from the natural sciences, i.e. it is used in biology and ecology for invasive species. When do newly arrived species become adapted as mutants and thus indigenous? Sanskrit is an Indo-European language. Besides pater, mater, brother and other significant words, English 'daughter' is the same as Skt. 'duhitri' (she who milks the cow) and 'raja' no different from 'regis'. Is Sanskrit then an imported language? Didn't the 'Vedic" people originating in mid-central Asia overrun large swathes of North-western India and record their feats in the Rig? If you open a roman edition of the Zend Avesta of Iran you will discover how easily you can read it. Is it then alien to us? Can the Afghans who ruled parts of north and east India for 1000 years continue to be seen in terms of narrow, post WWI state boundaries? Wasn't Ashoka a viceroy of the Maurya empire in Gandhara before he was crowned king? Were 'we' who now live in India colonists then? Or are the people of South Asia one recently mingled human group with a diverse and inextricably mixed genetic and cultural heritage?
Brahmanical authors and school textbooks tell children that 'we' have a 5000 year old culture. Do they know that the Munda, and other tribes with affiliated languages have a 40-70,000 year history of settlement in the subcontinent? Even those 'less civilized' Aussies in their official handbooks assert that their aboriginals - related to our tribes - have a 70-140,000 year history of occupation of their continent before the Whites arrived there. In India, the Jarawa language was only studied systematically by a JNUstudent in the last decade. He received a Ph.D in it as late as 2012.In modern India only the missionaries and European scholars have tried to study 'our' tribal languages. To the present day, no DC, magistrate, policeman or administrator in our Schedule V and Schedule VI areas can speak the local language of the people they govern beyond a few words, like the Johar! greeting above.
Tamil wasn't recognised as a classical language till the late 1960s. No wonder the Tamil speaking people wanted to secede at that time! The Jarawa, Shompen, Onge and Sentinelese have never joined the Union that was created by the indigenous government of India in 1947-56. No one knew how to ask them what they wanted. Contrast this with the Scottish referendum just concluded.
In more practical terms, can someone do an RTI for the amount of money allocated to the propagation of Hindi (this too, at the expense of its own much more popular and poetic dialects) by GoI? How much is spent annually on Hindi 'Pakhwaras', textbooks, translations by govt. agencies, universities, IITs and PSUs? This is public money robbed from the much more ancient cultural heritage of India and keeps Hindi-speaking people up there, in front, as the national power elite.
Joya Roy
On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 6:45 PM, Shanti Bhushan <shantibhush@gmail.com> wrote:
In my opinion all children from early childhood should get an opportunity to become proficient in english because all knowledge today is available on the internet in english
Sent from my iPadHindi is thrust down the throats of people in the name of nationalism and patriotism. And English is opposed to because it is a 'foreign language." No language is Indian or foreign. If you reject English and sponsor Hindi we will travel back in civilisation and be so narrow minded as to be unsuitable to communicate with the civilised world.English is a window to the whole World. Hindi will confine us to a tradition and superstition that has robbed this nation of light and truth. If we must move forward, we must shed the narrow concepts of nationalism and patriotism which serves only to divide and spread hatred between linguistic and religious groups. MPK kuttyOn Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 7:44 AM, Krishnan Kutty <mpkkutty@gmail.com> wrote:Ms Venkataraman and Ramakrishnan have raised vital questions relating to language. They have come up against linguistic chauvinism. In fact the NDA hides within it all kinds of narrowness of vision that represents evil in this nation. That is why we should be wary of the game that is being played under the leadership of Mr Modi. He may, for the sake of love for his country and for his own power will talk of development and amity; but one should not be taken in by the strategy. They are bothered about Hindi, the cow and things like that. They are least bothered about equality, dignity, justice or the larger issues that are vital to humankind. MPK KuttyOn Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 8:06 PM, Navnith Krishnan <navkris@hotmail.com> wrote:Dera Shri Roy,
It is the zest of Hindi chauvists like Shri Abrol that will result in the division and destruction of our nation. Can he show a single village in the south,east or north-east where Hindi is spokeen .In the days of the colinialists and invaders,the official language they used were Persian,Turkish,French or English.Those days there was total separation of the general public from the ruling class.The rural population generally never bothered who their rulers were as long as they do not loot them.Now we are a democracy.Every citizen aspires to have a level playing field in his ambitions.We have accepted Islam and Christianity,both religeons of the colonialists and invaders.A Roman Catholic was till recently our paramount ruler.Muslims were our Presidents. So why be ashamed of English alone which is an international language and a language of progress. Shri.Abrol need not have to gloat over Modi's UN speech in Hindi.Modi is much more a nationalist than Shri Abrol's chauvinistic mentality makes him to be. Due to effects of Hindi movies etc, Hindi is slowly being accepted by the non-Hindi speaking people. It is the holier than thee attitude and their rush to impose Hindi that will create problems. Let Shri Abrol advice Hindi speaking people to learn one south Indian language, instead of calling all southies as Madrassis.Ignorance and ego are a dangerous mix.
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 21:42:45 +0530
From: sroy.mb@gmail.com
To: indiaresists@lists.riseup.net
Subject: Re: [IAC#RG] IMPOSITION OF HINDI ON NON HINDI SPEAKING STATESPost: "indiaresists@lists.riseup.net" Exit: "indiaresists-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net" Quit: "https://lists.riseup.net/www/signoff/indiaresists" Help: https://help.riseup.net/en/list-user WWW : http://indiaagainstcorruption.net.inDear Mr Venkatraman
This is an emotive and divisive issue which has been discussed several
times before here. Nothing will be served by going over the same
ground. in any case Mr. Modi is not Mr Shastri.
Yes, Mr. Modi belongs to the Hindi knowing group (he knows some /
enough English). Get used to the new reality - "jaise Raja vaise
Praja' (what the King is so must be the people). If you want English
back, you know who to vote for next as PM (even if he is a sex-addict
junkie / flunky).
Sarbajit
On 9/15/14, Venkatraman Ns <nsvenkatchennai@gmail.com> wrote:
> To
>
> India Against Corruption
>
> IMPOSITION OF HINDI ON NON HINDI SPEAKING STATES
>
> It is surprising that those in charge of policy making in NDA government
> do not understand the intensity of the anger and frustration amongst the
> people in the non Hindi states due to the subtle attempts of Modi
> government to gradually impose Hindi.
>
> The genuine fear of the people in the non Hindi speaking states is that
> they would be reduced to second class citizens in the country if Hindi
> would be imposed , as those speaking Hindi will get distinct advantage over
> the non Hindi speaking people at the national level.
>
> Mr. Naredndra Modi does not seem to be aware of the intense and popular
> anti Hindi agitation in non Hindi speaking states particularly in Tamil
> Nadu, when Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri was the Prime Minister. Schools and
> colleges had to remain closed for around three months in Tamil Nadu due to
> anti Hindi protest by the students. Finally, Mr. Shastri had to give an
> assurance that Hindi would not be made national language so long as non
> Hindi speaking people would not want it. The situation has not much changed
> as far as the imposition of Hindi is concerned.
>
> Today, India has enough problems and there is no feelings of difference in
> the country on language issue. Mr. Narendra Modi should not create new
> issues by trying to impose Hindi.
>
> Even today, many people in non Hindi speaking states , particularly in
> Tamil Nadu , feel like aliens as they do not understand Mr. Modi speaking
> Hindi everywhere without any translators. When he spoke in Hindi to the
> school children on Teacher's Day , lakhs of school students in non Hindi
> speaking states felt left out and wondered as to whether the Prime
> Minister belong to Hindi knowing people only.
>
> N.S.Venkataraman
>
> Nandini Voice For The Deprived
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