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Language Politics

Artwork by Mithu Sen

Politics Of Language: Will We Be Able To Save Our Lingual Diversity?

Language in Europe played a role in imagination and formation of nationhood, but India followed a different path. The Constitution drafting committee under the chairmanship of Dr BR Ambedkar imagined a different India — a...

17 January 2023

Hindi Chauvinism Hangs Like An Imperialist Spectre Over Rest Of India

Hindi Diwas: With Hindi being pushed by the Centre as Rashtra Bhasha, the spectre of language imperialism haunts the Indian Union

14 September 2022

Marathi Pride Is Passe, Shiv Sena's Apathy Hurts The Language

Despite several agitations by political parties—some violent—the Marathi language is on a downslide. It will take more than government efforts to promote the language

20 June 2022

The Malayali Loves Hindi, But Don't Take It As Acquiescence

Hindi Diwas: Even the otherwise Hindi-friendly Malayali rises to resi­st the imposition of Hindi on them

14 September 2022

The Urge To Build A National Consciousness Around A Language

The move to make Hindi the national language is a political project, the language becoming a tool for constructing national unity

14 September 2022

The Konkani language and its march into irrelevance

A Konkan Dirge: The Slow Death Of Goa's Official Language

In an increasingly cosmopolitan Goa, Konkani’s slow and steady march to irrelevance appears to have begun. Apart from socio-cultural change, large scale migration – both into and out of Goa, there are some inherent...

13 June 2022

The Tamil-Dravidian Framework As A Secular Antithesis To Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan

Hindi Diwas: The government should be concerned that the younger generation dislikes language imperialism

14 September 2022

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Anti-Hindi movement: The Grassroots Struggle For Tamil Pride

The idea that Hindi is spoken by a majority of Indians is a claim that has to be ferociously contested. Only 26 per cent of the Indian population selected Hindi as their mother tongue.

29 May 2022

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29 May 2022
Centre’s Five-language Formula For J&K Is Being Seen As Incremental Hindi Imposition

Centre’s Five-language Formula For J&K Is Being Seen As Incremental Hindi Imposition

Not only did the Centre’s push for a five-language formula for J&K in 2020 end Urdu’s status as its sole official language, it is also seen as an...


29 May 2022
In Assam, Bengali Muslims Are Asserting Their Identity Through 'Miya Poetry'

In Assam, Bengali Muslims Are Asserting Their Identity Through 'Miya Poetry'

Assam’s immigrant Muslims are owning the racial slur Miya to assert their identity and express dissent


29 May 2022
Let A Language Contend

Let A Language Contend

Throughout the Republic’s history, several states have seen protests aga­inst the imposition of Hindi. Can there be a national language of a multilingual...


13 May 2022
Tamil Nadu Minister Takes Dig At Hindi, Says Most Hindi Speaker Migrants Work In Pani Puri Shops

Tamil Nadu Minister Takes Dig At Hindi, Says Most Hindi Speaker Migrants Work In Pani Puri Shops

When asked if he was profiling Hindi-speakers, the minister said it's 'not like that'. He said, 'Most of them are working in pani puri shops'.


11 May 2022
Will Ladakh's Regional Unity Withstand The Storm Over Bhoti Language?

Will Ladakh's Regional Unity Withstand The Storm Over Bhoti Language?

After two years of relative peace and amity, the Bhoti language issue may end up creating fissures between Leh and Kargil regions in Ladakh.


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06 May 2022
How China's Confucius Institutes Become Extension Of Chinese State On Campuses Worldwide

How China's Confucius Institutes Become Extension Of Chinese State On Campuses Worldwide

Chinese Communist Party's Politburo member Li Changchun said these institutes are an 'important part of China’s overseas propaganda set-up'.


06 May 2022
In Another Tongue: How Translation As A Literary Form Has Gained Ground In India

In Another Tongue: How Translation As A Literary Form Has Gained Ground In India

In a country as linguistically diverse as India, with its treasure trove of regional literature and a growing tribe of English speakers, translation as a...


06 May 2022
The Mighty Ma Boli: Punjabi Sees A Resurgence In The Public Sphere

The Mighty Ma Boli: Punjabi Sees A Resurgence In The Public Sphere

Gurmukhi now dominates Punjab’s public spaces. Does this demonstrate an assertion of a regional identity shaped by Partition, reorganisation and insurgency?


04 May 2022
Five Decades Of Invisiblisation Of India’s Minor Languages 

Five Decades Of Invisiblisation Of India’s Minor Languages 

How the 1971 decision to exclude minor languages from Census report is killing India’s linguistic diversity 


03 May 2022
Sonu Nigam: Hindi Might Be The Most Spoken Language But Not The National Language

Sonu Nigam: Hindi Might Be The Most Spoken Language But Not The National Language

Singer Sonu Nigam has spoken up about his thoughts on the ongoing debate around Hindi as the national language. This comes days after actor Ajay Devgn and...


30 April 2022
You win win but 'we' are lost

You win win but 'we' are lost

As advocates of regional languages gear up to face the threat of a Hindi deluge, they are also waking up to the existential threat of internal decay. We look...


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28 April 2022
Ajay Devgn And Kiccha Sudeep's Twitter Exchange Starts Debate On Hindi As A National Language

Ajay Devgn And Kiccha Sudeep's Twitter Exchange Starts Debate On Hindi As A National Language

Actor Ajay Devgn and Kiccha Sudeep took to Twitter to go back and forth at each other over whether or not Hindi is the national language of India. Celebs like...


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