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| A screen grab of the NDTV show which debated #StopHindiImposition (Video below) |
Staff correspondent, August 19, 2015, NewsCrunch
The NDTV ran a short programme on the Twitter trend - #stophindiimposition.
The debate was superficial, but the TV channel took a Twitter hashtag and introduced it into mainstream media, raising its profile. Now, you can expect other media outlets to keep an eye on the issue.
1) NDTV journalist Sunethra Choudhury was biased; she wanted to hear the pro-Hindi voices. But to be fair, she was an equal opportunity journalist.
2) It was rightly pointed out that this round of linguistic campaign has a social media trigger. It can escalate easily.
3) The winner of the debate was Dr Appoorvanand Jha, a Delhi University Hindi professor from Bihar. He agreed that the grievance is genuine and opposed imposition of Hindi. For this controversy to resolve amicably, all parties need to understand the other's point of view. Hats off to Prof Jha, for showing how to do it.
4) Anti-Hindi imposition opponents are in danger of exaggerating the threat from Hindi. Many of our regional languages are facing an existential threat and the government's imposition of Hindi is not the major culprit here. It needs more systemic thinking and action to save our language and culture.
Having said that the Indian government has no business favouring one language over another.
5) Do not match fanaticism with fanaticism. If Hindi poet Ashok Chakradar wants to speak in Hindi before an English audience, it is his problem. If you insist on speaking Kannada before a mixed audience, you lose an opportunity to get your point across.
6) Do not replace Hindi fanaticism with your own chauvinism. Languages grow only when the doors are kept open to assimilate influences. Do not impose a party line. If NewsCrunch is comfortable calling Bengaluru Bangalore for its own reasons, do not abuse it.
7) South Indians have made a common cause against Hindi. This is an absolutely new development. Will the new brotherhood survive the next Cauvery agitation? The campaign against imposition of Hindi has drawn support from non-South Indian states as well.
8) As NewsCrunch had earlier pointed out, Bangalore lit this round of anti-Hindi imposition fire.
9) Sunethra Choudhury also tweeted a Google data that said there was a 94% growth in online consumption of Hindi content. So, she asks if the protests against the language are irrelevant.
The picture is incomplete till we factor in similar data on other Indian languages. Google also said 21% of Indians wanted to access Hindi content on Internet. That is to say, 79% did not want to do so.
Let us respect the diversity in the country and build unity through it.
Related
#StopHindiImposition: Why Bangalore will lead the next round of anti-Hindi protest
Video: NDTV debates Twitter trend - #stophindiimposition.
— Agenda on NDTV (@AgendaonNDTV) August 18, 2015