Undue focus on Hindi can lead to National Isolation and International Seclusion

The Committee of Parliament on Official Language’s recommendations that Hindi replace English as the sole language of instruction in central institutions, and that regional languages be used in state universities and other non-central educational institutions will have far-reaching adverse consequences

Contrary to what is frequently bandied about in certain influential political circles, and nationalist Right-wing cliques, India does not have a national language. The Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India has a list of 22 languages, which are all designated as ‘official languages’. Hindi is one of those, and so is English.

It is disconcerting that in the official website of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language we come across the following nomenclature: “Department of Official Language – MHA”! How come? What has happened to the 22 listed and designated languages as official languages that the singular ‘language’ has been adopted here?