How sad it
is to see some Parliamentarians and agents of some political parties
cutting very sorry figures, who cry from the house tops for the
protection and preservation of the constitution of India? They even carry the
small sized copy of the constitution to exhibit their loyalty to it.
But in their real life they do contrary to the spirit of the
Constitution. Let us take the question of Hindi. Article 351 of the
Constitution states that ‘the Union must
promote the spread of the Hindi language and to develop it so that it may serve
as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of
India. It also emphasizes that Hindi should be enriched by incorporating
elements from other Indian languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the
Constitution, thereby drawing from the rich and diverse linguistic heritage of
India. The goal is to make Hindi a robust language capable of representing the
multifaceted culture of the country while ensuring it doesn’t replace other
regional languages.
Why this hullaballoo
against Hindi by some politicians, particularly belonging to the DMK of Tamil
Nadu? This reflects their colossal ignorance of the constitution and their
inability to govern the state of Tamil Nadu, where they have come to power by
playing on the sentimental issue of language. These politicians forget the fact
that people cannot be fooled any longer by creating the fear of imposition of
Hindi. Presently, if you travel to any part of Tamil Nadu, you can do your work
in Hindi or a simple Urdu. All three parts of Article 343 of the Indian
Constitution further declare that Hindi in Devanagari script as the official
language of the Union.
Article 343(2): States that for fifteen years
from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., until January 25, 1965), the
English language shall continue to be used for official purposes of the Union.
Article 343(3):
Permits Parliament to provide by law for the continued use of English after the
said period of fifteen years.
This article was a significant move in
establishing Hindi as the official language. What is surprising is that instead
of dispensing with the dependence of English, these politicians fight against
Hindi.
How pathetic it is to see the deplorable
condition of Hindi in the Supreme Court of India and many High Courts of the
country, where neither judges speak, nor the advocates argue their cases in
English. Knowledgeable people make fun of the English that is written and
spoken in these temples of justice. Many times, even the judges of the Supreme
Court have cursed the incomprehensible judgments of the High Court judges.
Several times the Supreme Court has referred them back to the concerned
High Courts. The book ‘Courts and Their Judgments’ written by journalist Arun
Shourie, exposes the poor knowledge of English of the judges of the High
Courts. This buttresses the importance of Hindi, which should be made
compulsory for all judicial officers and judges. Therefore, those opposing
Hindi will have to eat humble pie.
