Speak Local or Else? The Dangerous Rise of Linguistic Intolerance

How politicians, misplaced pride, and mob mentality are fueling language-based violence in modern India.

Language Violence in India: What's Happening?

Recently, obsession with language and linguistic divide is seeing a rise in India. From Kannadigas to Maharashtrians, all are obsessing over the use of their language over other languages. It gets worse as they are coming down to the act of violence if other people do not speak their language. The recent case has been in Maharashtra’s Dombivli where two woman were beaten for speaking ‘excuse me’ in English and not in Marathi. Some extremists also damaged bank properties like banners which were in English language, demanding that it should have been in Marathi. Earlier, it was a bus constable being thrashed near the Maharashtra-Karnataka border for the same reason. There have also been video clips going viral on social media where people are humiliated and verbally/mentally bullied for not speaking the regional language.

This raises questions on how intolerant people have become and how easily there are manipulated by politicians. Some unemployed individuals misled by extremism will be the cause of downfall of India and its international reputation.

I saw several comments like “this wasn't the swarajya Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj visioned and would be disappointed from seeing this in heaven” and it is so accurate!

The Politician's Game: Divide and Rule

India is already battling extremist religion and caste divide. Why must we add language to this? Politicians are igniting this language divide and many people blindly follow their “leaders.” Ironically, these same followers with the IQ of a doorknob won't be violent towards other politicians or big shots like Ambani for not speaking their state language. It is only the lower and middle class who end up becoming victim of this extremist abuse. This language politics is getting out of hand.

Also, if these people are so obsessed about their culture getting erased by speaking other language, why don't they go back to wearing the traditional attire of the region? Men back to dhoti or lungi? Why don't they admit their kids to Marathi-medium schools (or whatever is the state language)? Why do these politicians send their kids abroad for education? If they are so obsessed with culture and language, stay in India and go back to traditional wear, gurukul system or regional language schools & colleges.

A lot of Indians are so gullible (or absent minded with opinions of their own) that they will dance to the tunes of the politicians or local goons & “godmans” who are celebrated. Politicians are continuing the British tradition of divide and rule. People say British looted India a lot. Surely, they did. But now these politicians are looting India way more than Britishers did- not just financially but also in other aspects. Stand-up comedian Daniel Fernandes funnily remarked that politicians (and government officials) are public servants and not public masters; treat them like one. And it is so true- we should be ruthlessly questioning politicians in power, and not bully fellow commoners. We middle class are already struggling with tax terrorism and inefficient governance, let us not add bullying to the already existing laundary list of problems.

Rational people are leaving India permanently and giving up Indian citizenship due to the plethora of problems here — from governance to lack of civic sense from fellow Indians. Many would've criticized their decision 10 years before, but now other rational people who are just looking for safety and peace agree with this. This reflects the sorry state of affairs in India where people aren't sure about their safety and can't get peace.

Language and Culture

Language is part of a culture, but it doesn't make culture in its entirety. Some people cry that not speaking state/regional language will destroy the culture. In my opinion, no culture is so weak to be eradicated just because some immigrants do not speak the state language?

The number of Marwari speakers are getting reduced, especially in states other than Rajasthan (even urban speakers of Rajasthan are shifting to Hindi). Hindi script is being used to write messages in Marwari. But the Rajasthani culture is still surviving because of it's other elements. As a Marwari person myself, when I recently visited Jaipur & Jodhpur, no one forced us to speak in Marwari (we could not understand their dialect as well). Yet, the Rajasthani culture and art is vibrant as it always has been.

Yes, the subtle, gradual Hindi imposition in northern states shouldn't eradicate any language completely. But the culture still stays. So the idea that not speaking a language will lead to erasure of a culture is a baseless claim.

Language in metropolitan cities

Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru receive at least thousands of immigrants annually, primarily due to financial reasons. Due to these, the cities, especially Mumbai, have become a mix pot of languages. No language is rendered “pure” anymore as people switch from one language to another in a moment. For example, in Mumbai, the daily language has become a mix of English, Hindi, Marathi and whatever is the mother tongue of an individual. The words swifty moves from one language to another. There is also the concept of Hinglish in several northern states of India. This is just about people who migrate to another state for a few years or more. What about families of armed forces and government officials who make move every few years? They really can't be learning every language in depth.

People are already struggling financially. We need to be empathetic enough to cut some slack about language. As long as they are able to communicate their ideas & feelings in language which is understandable by both the parties, what's the issue?

Why English as a Link Language Makes Sense

In present time, I think English can be the sole link language uniting north, north-east, east, south, west and the islands of India. Currently, most schools & colleges are English-medium ones, so youngsters know the language enough to communicate with others. Employed people, even those in their 50s, know basic English to communicate. So rather than imposing Hindi (on South Indians) or any one language, it is ideal that English can be used as the bridge language.

So it doesn't make sense to deface or damage properties which are already written in English.

We can peacefully use English rather than creating unnecessary ruckus and violence over any one language. This way, no one gets hurt.

Preserving Regional Languages Without Force

I firmly believe that while we have English as a bridge language and official language of India, we need to preserve the regional languages and dialects. But this needs to be done strategically, not by forcing the language down the throats of people and hurting them.

In Maharashtra, Marathi has been a compulsory language in schools since a few decades. But the implementation hasn't been done correctly, especially by private English-medium schools who are affiliated to CBSE, ICSE or other international boards. In the private CBSE school I was in, we were just asked to mug up what the text is about and answer the MCQ questions. We weren't taught Marathi grammar and sentence structure. We were made to cram it up and get done with it in the exams. This way, a lot of non-Maharashtian students from schools like these can't speak Marathi.

If it would have been a school in Karnataka, a Kannadiga would be more fluent in the language than the non-Kannadigas who have recently migrated to the state. Same goes for every state or regional language.

Whatever Marathi I have learnt is from listening to other people talk. I can understand basic Marathi but fail to speak fluently in a coherent manner. The sentence structure is broken and pronunciation may not be clear. Additionally, I am hesitant to speak due to the fear of making mistakes and being at the receiving end of bullying from the extremists. It is not just Marathi but I face similar hesitance in my own mother tongue too.

So yes, the government should make sure the implementation is done properly by surprise visits at schools. The management should be questioned if students are struggling with basic language skills.

Non-coercion ways to preserve and promote language

A state government and rich people from the language community can help preserve and promote language in gentle ways. Some steps which can help others embrace and use language with respect and not fear are-

1. The government can be the patron of literature, drama and art produced in their state language. The state and local government can give attractive monetary incentives to authors, dramatists, filmmakers, musicians and dramatists for creating literature and art in the local language. If a person knows they can comfortably survive on the government support (along with their own investment or business) and their art is acknowledged, they will go on to create more art and literature in the given language.

2. Local community can speak to other residents in their local language while in a common language with tourists. This way, tourists aren't forced to learn the language either and the local/state language stays alive as people converse in the local or state language.

3. Ensure basic language skills are taught in schools. As I mentioned in the previous section, CBSE schools didn't bother teaching Marathi. The language subject was in our syllabus just for the sake of it. The education department of the state should do surprise visits in schools to check if their students can communicate in the language. If they fail to have basic communication skills, the management and faculty should be questioned.

4. State government should make the language the official language of the state. Rajasthan doesn't have any state language as their are several languages spoken in the state according to area, like Marwari, Dhundhari, Shekhavati, Mewari etc. In Bihar, Hindi imposition caused languages like Bhojpuri to lose their speakers in the upcoming generations. If any state faces such issues, they can see if the base of languages in the state is common and use that for government forms and notices. The forms and government notices can be both in English as well as the state’s official language. This helps a language survive as people have to learn basic language skills for regular official and bank work.

Conclusion

The growing divide and rule in language needs to die down. We should stop bullying each other, but question the politicians who are creating the divide for their own benefits. Bully them, not the fellow commoners. Lower and middle class already have too much on their hands. English can be the link language between various parts across India, while the state governments should ensure the regional/state languages are taught properly in schools.

Let’s speak up for peace, not in just one language—but with empathy, no matter the tongue.