In his book, “The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table,” Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. quoted, “Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” His words certainly reflect the importance of language in uplifting civilizations. Every country on this planet is known for its unique language. For example, Urdu is a language predominantly spoken in Pakistan. Approximately 1.132 billion people in the world speak different versions of English. Mandarin Chinese is the second most spoken language in the world. It is spoken in China, Singapore, and Taiwan. Hindi is one of the infamous languages that serves as a medium of conversation among Indians. French, Spanish, and Arabic are used predominantly by Europeans and Arabs, respectively.
These languages not only serve as a medium of conversation but also represent the collective ideology of nations. This is probably one of the reasons why the world has witnessed language wars time and again. While the world is currently engulfed by the Palestine, Kashmir, and Ukraine crises, Modi’s India is set to wage yet another language war over Hindi dominance.
Main Languages Spoken in India
India is a multilingual country that gained independence in 1947 from the British Raj. As per the 8th Schedule of the 1950 Indian Constitution, there are 22 official languages in India. The most famous ones are listed below:
- Hindi: It is the language of the Indian capital. Half of the population in India is well-versed in this language.
- English: As per the Indian constitution, English is the official state language that is used widely in government offices and educational institutions.
- Assamese: Assam is the primary stronghold of this language. However, it is also spoken in areas bordering Assam.
- Bengali: Bengali is spoken in West Bengal and Tripura.
- Telugu: It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- Marathi: As the name implies, it is the regional language of Maharashtra.
- Gujarati: Gujarati is the regional language of Gujarat.
- Kannada: Kannada is a language of Southern India. It is more common in Karnataka.
- Tamil: People in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu converse in Tamil. However, they also speak English as their second language.
- Odia: It is spoken in Odisha.
- Urdu: Despite historical clashes with Hindi, Urdu is still used in various parts of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana.
- Malayalam: Kerala is home to Malayalam.
- Punjabi: It is spoken in Indian Punjab, particularly in Amritsar.
Language War in India
Federico Fellini once said, “A different language is a different vision of life.” This statement seems true if we closely examine the dynamics of languages in India. While regional and official languages enrich the cultural diversity of India, they often become a bone of contention among Indians. Differences in language compel Indians to live in harmony without blending to become one. A plethora of languages makes India a diverse but non-uniform nation. To attain uniformity, every Indian government comes forward with different plans.
However, the idea of adopting Hindi as a national language does not sit well with Indians. In the late 1930s, two Indians lost their lives in a language conflict that aimed at suppressing the spread of the Hindustani language in the subcontinent. The anti-Hindi agitation in the 1960s claimed the lives of more than 50 protestors.
Likewise, one bitter language conflict has erupted between the government of the BJP and Tamil Nadu. In the first week of April 2025, Prime Minister Modi mocked the leaders of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party for not writing official letters in Tamil, a regional language of Tamil Nadu, but in English instead. His remarks eventually ended in a series of street demonstrations. In response to his remarks, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu slammed the federal government for trying to impose Hindi in the school curriculum.
Why Tamil Nadu Opposes the Imposition of Hindi in the School Curriculum
The numerical majority of state leaders are against the imposition of the Hindi language in the school curriculum. To comprehend their resistance, it is mandatory to look into the three-language formula mandated by India’s National Education Policy in the 1960s and later updated in 2020. As per the content of the formula, states were required to teach three languages in schools: Hindi, English, and a regional language or any other native language of their choice.
The essence of the language formula was to make India a uniform nation. The policymakers thought that Hindi would serve as a connecting link among different states. In 2020, the formula was revised. The revised version urged the states to teach three languages in schools. Out of the 3 chosen languages, two must be native to India. Surprisingly, Hindi is not one of the two languages.
Tamil Nadu never abided by this formula. According to the leaders of Tamil Nadu, it is enough to teach two languages in schools. All schools in Tamil Nadu have been teaching English and Tamil since 1947. Tamil is the mother tongue of the region, whereas English is the international medium of communication. In response to the denial of the regional leaders, the education minister of the Modi government, Dharmendra Pradhan, asserted that the education fund of more than 200 crore rupees would not be issued to Tamil Nadu if it failed to adopt the National Education Policy 2020 in letter and spirit.
The regional leader, M.K. Stalin, accused the BJP government of turning a multilingual country into a single-language nation. He considers Modi’s venture as a part of the BJP’s One Nation, One Everything Policy. According to them, Bihari, Bhojpuri, and Haryanvi are about to vanish because of the infiltration of Hindi.
Why South Indians Are Against Hindi Dominance
Surprisingly, South Indians are more against the imposition of Hindi as a national language than any other language, including English. Given below are some of the reasons why South Indians despise Hindi so much as a national language or medium of instruction in schools.
Hindi is Overhyped
The South Indians assume that Hindi is overhyped by the BJP government. Since the idea of a national language is not mentioned in the Indian Constitution, states should be given the right to choose the language of their liking.
English is a Neutral Language
The South Indians believe that English is a neutral language that is spoken all over the world. Since English does not belong to any specific area, it does not bother them much. Had it belonged to any specific region, protests would have been carried out against its imposition.
Hindi is a Threat to the Multilingual Nature of the Country
One of the most prominent Indian linguists, Ganesh Narayan Devy, views the imposition of Hindi as a dangerous but laughable act. He believes that India would lose its identity if it became a single-language nation. The accommodation of all native languages makes India alive. He said that there are Indians who pray in Sanskrit, watch films in Hindi, and speak their mother tongue at home and English to uplift their careers. This is why it is hard to imagine a monolingual India.
Hindi is a Political Language
The pioneer of Hindu nationalism, VD Savarkar, is regarded as the first person to articulate the slogan “Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan.” This slogan blended Indian nationalism with language and religion. Local leaders of Tamil Nadu also claim that Hindi imposition is a way adopted by the BJP to infiltrate local politics.
Conclusion
Language war is not a new concept. Language conflicts arise right after the birth of the states. India, being a multilingual nation, has never been away from such conflicts. Recently, a language war erupted when the federal government pulled back the education fund of Tamil Nadu. The government asked the state to adopt the National Education Policy of 2020 if it needed the funds. This heated debate might end in a full-fledged civil war.
Many experts have warned the leaders of the barbaric history that forceful language imposition has been initiated in the region. The fall of Dhaka and the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka are some of the notable examples of the deadliest language conflicts.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Gul Naz received a degree in MPhil Zoology in 2023 from the University of Okara. Besides deriving strength from bibliotherapy, she finds solace in producing articles based on contemporary issues from different parts of the globe.