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Wednesday, 19 June 2013 03:33

The notion of India and its diverse nature seems to be coming under strain.

GORKHA JANMUKTI MORCHA supporters block the road in Darjeeling town during a bandh in January 2011 demanding a separate Gorkhaland state.

WE fear what we do not understand, and, as Graham Greene said, hate is an automatic response to fear. Over the years we have been degenerating into a people who may, only in a very superficial and mechanical manner, be called more educated but are really more petty and bigoted. Our minds are more closed. We think in terms of our immediate neighbourhood and are losing interest in a larger awareness and comprehension.

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Wednesday, 19 June 2013 03:33

Is there a case regarding Gorkhas seeking linguist minorities’ status?

The framers of the constitution of India decided on linguist states and not geographical states, yet linguist minorities in India are not given the same status and rights as religious minorities, which are vote banks. On the other hand there is reservation on caste based criteria which adds a whole new dimension to the social fabric of society. Currently English has emerged as the language of power and economics, while Hindi has become a popular language with nearly 51% of the population of the country studying the same as first, or second, language. All this has been at the cost of a large number of other languages. Around 20 years ago there were more than 148 languages yet today 94 main stream languages are left. Each time a language dies, so does it art, literature, culture, dance, drama, poetry, dress sense and clothes, cooking, in short its way of life. There is a growing need to learn English which provides jobs and is the language of power, left out are the regional languages.  There are essentially adequate provisions in the constitution of India to provide protection to linguist minorities, yet the social milieu demands more emphasis on economic language and the other languages are dying out. There is thus a need to preserve various languages; on the other hand there is the urgency to economically progress, which all sections of society demand as their right.