Monday, October 10, 2005

What is the national language of India?

We had a discussion on this topic over the weekend and my contention was that there is no single national language in India - only two official languages (Hindi and English) and 15 so-called "national" languages - the ones printed on our currency.

I was surprised to find that some still think that Hindi is 'THE' national language of India as much as they were to hear from me that it is not. We realized that the former view is what is passed as the 'absolute' truth regarding the law of the land with regards to language in our education system as well as most other public arenas. Whereas 'the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth' is not quite as simple as that.

Here are some links to pages that shed more light on the matter:

  • Reconciling Linguistic Diversity: The History and the Future of Language Policy in India

  • Official language - Wikipedia definition

  • THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA:PROVISIONS RELATING TO LANGUAGES

  • THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963(AS AMENDED, 1967)(Act No. 19 of 1963)

  • Constitution of India - Part VII

  • Languages of India

  • List of national languages of India

  • OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE UNION


  • Does anyone know any other interesting facts on this topic?

    -V

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