Should Hindi be the official language of India?

Should Hindi be the official language of India?

Introduction

As per the Constitution, India is a multi-lingual nation. It has 22 languages. But people in India give their first preference to English language. It is used as a medium of communication in most of the schools and offices.

There has been a massive uproar by the Modi government asking the ministers and officials to use the Hindi language everywhere. Mr. Modi gave his speech in Hindi at the Bhutanese parliament during his first official overseas trip.

All the government offices in India will have a Hindi software installed in their systems. According to the new government, all the officials and employees should be well-versed in Hindi. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is all set to promote Hindi as the official language.

The National Language status for Hindi is a long debated subject across the nation today.

Yes – Hindi should be the official language.

1. Indian Constitution – The Indian Constitution states that Hindi should be the official language of India. It should be in Devanagari script. Still, many regions are not ready to accept this fact.

2. Widely spoken – Though India has 22 languages, Hindi is the most widely spoken amongst all. Hindi is the 5th most widely spoken language in the world.

3. Hindustan – India was previously known as “Hindustan”. The word itself implies that India is the land of Hindi speaking people. Hence, it should be the official language of the nation.

4. Identity – Even before independence, Hindi was considered to be the official language. Today, English is a global language but it does not mean that we should adopt it. We should try to promote our own identity.

5. Rural India – Around 75% of the country resides in villages where people are aware of Hindi mostly. It would be tough for these people to accept English as their official language.

No – Hindi should not be the official language.

1. No record – Gujarat High Court has passed a statement saying that Hindi is not the language of the country. The Constitution has stated Hindi as the official language and not the national language. Hence, it is not necessary to use Hindi as the official language.

2. Multiple languages – India follows multiple languages. For example, if a Tamilian joins a job in some other region, he might have to speak the local language. If he joins an MNC, he might have to speak English. Hence, English can be used as the common language for the nation.

3. Right to speak – Around 22 languages exist in this nation and, thus, people have the right to speak in any of those languages.

4. Harmony – Creating a debate upon a language to be official or not disturbs the harmony of a nation. Our country is best known for its unity in diversity.

5.Foreign relations – Instead of Hindi, English should be widely practiced in our country. Government employees should be skilled in speaking English. It will also help improve foreign communications.

Conclusion

The debate regarding the status of the official language of India is an ongoing process. One group of people demand Hindi to be recognized as the official language and another demand English. The Modi government is giving stress in promoting the Hindi language across the country. Even though this is being criticized by certain political parties in Tamil Nadu, the effort has gained a bit of success.