Batting for Hindi
Hindi seems to be back in focus again. In a country where there are different traditions, cultures, dialects and languages, it is near impossible to make Hindi the link language and have it replace English.
In fact, English is considered the language of employment and the language of opportunities. The views in Delhi, expressed by some top leaders in the ruling party appear to be a diversionary tactic given the issues around inflation.
Pratapa Reddy Yaramala,
Tiruvuru, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
The pitch for Hindi in lieu of English is a wasteful and avoidable burden on non-Hindi speaking people. English is essential in today’s world. A two-language formula comprising the mother tongue and English alone is feasible. The so-called three language formula is practically a two-language formula for the Hindi-speaking States and a three-language one for the non-Hindi speaking States.
Jimmy C. Mattom,
Kurianad, Kottayam, Kerala
At a time when the need is to restructure the federal structure of the country, so as to give more autonomy to the States and enable them to fashion their destiny, the government of the day appears to be bent upon recasting the entire country into its regressive vision. The obsessive concern about Hindi should be seen as part of this project. The proceedings and the conduct of Ministers within Parliament give the impression that the non-Hindi speaking States do not matter. Grotesque names to the central government sponsored schemes are mostly unintelligible to people of the south. Any attempt at the forceful imposition of Hindi will be disastrous.
Manohar Alembath,
Kannur, Kerala
Opposition alliance
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s expectation of cohesion in the Opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election — solely because they are against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi — is wishful thinking (Inside pages, “Parties against RSS and Modi should come together: Rahul”, April 9). If the Congress party is unwilling to shed the big brother attitude in the States in which it is stronger, how it can bring smaller parties under one umbrella? And, if the Congress is not ready to play second fiddle in the States in which it is weaker, how it can be a meaningful part of any big coalition? After all, these types of permutations and combinations will happen on a larger scale before 2024, and it is anybody’s guess how well equipped the Congress will be able to handle the situation. It is time for the Congress to realise there is no ‘magic glue’ that can miraculously bind all parties that oppose the present regime.
A. Venkatasubramanian,
Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
