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Strengthening functional Hindi

Sir,
Apropos of Deshbandhu Rajesh's article 'Strengthening function Hindi' (IE of 26 November 1999) and the rejoinder in the letters to the editor column of 1 December 1999.

Is it some sort of obsessive-compulsive disorder with people at large that they must politicise each and every non-issue into a controversial one. Take language for instance.

It is with enviable dexterity that man expresses himself meaningfully to his fellow beings, through a skillful use of language as an effective tool of communication. And it is indeed with an equally remarkable ability at comprehension of the spoken and the written word that he manages to understand what his fellow beings try to communicate to him.

Man is perhaps the only life form known to express itself through an efficient use of this tool. Language is fundamental to almost all relationships and the very basis of the entire progress mankind has been able to make in various fields, hinges on it.

It is, however, painful to see all around us highly emotional attachment being unneceswsarily shown to this tool of communication. To the extent that people are willing to offend and readily take offence, quickly assault, easily maim, kill, burn and annihilate, all in the name of language. Rather than joining, it is used to pry people apart and to weave ugly linguistic cocoons around various people. lsn't this a sad testimony to the petty thinking and shallow mindedness of men that they would attach undue importance to routine and basically uncontroversial issues and specialise in creating controversies out of thin air?

A Tamilian student I recently met, told me that the ordinary people in the Southern states are not at all averse to learning Hindi, contrary to popular belief. In fact, he tells me, they feel that Hindi is a sine qua non for them when they seek to broaden their job horizon in the Northern states. It is only lthe unscrupulous politicians, who have vested interest in keeping the fires of hatred burning in order to ensure their otherwise dubious survival, that whip up language based passions.

Hindi undoubtedly is in an enviable position to boast a huge repertoire of very precise and appropriate words for all sorts of occasions, things, feelings and especially relationlships. Sadly, however, the proponents of Hindi have failed themselves and the language they so enthusiastically propound in making it horribly difficult to use and comprehend in routine life. Even the level complication of text and grammer books manage to cultivate a certain distaste for Hindi in the minds of young students, what to talk of adults.

Each language is beautiful in its own right. It evolves with the people who come in its contact. Why must we misuse this gift from God by turning it into an excuse to fan communal hatred; as a weapon of anger, distrust, animosity and destruction? Let us instead use it only as an instrument of love, peace, harmony and progress. Dexterity in the use of this tool of communication should endow upon man a skill to be able to not simply get his point of view across, but to be able to do so constructrively and artistically.

Yours sincerely,

Vivek Khanna