India’s linguistic diversity is one of its greatest cultural treasures. Yet, while Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK raises the alarm over the ‘imposition’ of Hindi and Sanskrit, the reality is that several native languages within Tamil Nadu and other southern states have been swallowed by dominant regional tongues.
The irony is unmistakable – as pointed out by @vjeshetty on X – while Tamil Nadu fights against Hindi, it has silently witnessed the disappearance of Irula, Toda, Kurumba, Kota, and Badaga. Similarly, Kannada has overshadowed Tulu and Kodava; Telugu has absorbed Pattapu, Konda, and Gondi; and Malayalam has replaced Kumbaran, Paliyan, and Malasar.
If linguistic purity is the goal, then where was this concern when indigenous languages were fading away within these very states? The United Nations has warned of the alarming rate at which native languages are disappearing globally, and India is no exception. Telugu, for instance, is under severe threat – not from Hindi, but from the infiltration of English and the lack of efforts to preserve its classical roots. In urban centres, a Telugu conversation today is often littered with English words, betraying the dilution of the language.
DMK’s double standards
MK Stalin and the DMK paint Hindi as a villain, branding it a tool of ‘Sanskritisation’ and an attack on Tamil identity. Yet, there is no such outrage when Tamil Nadu aggressively adopts English. If the battle is truly against linguistic imperialism, why is there an eagerness to embrace a colonial tongue while rejecting a language that is, at the very least, Indian?
Even more baffling is the DMK’s apparent willingness to promote Urdu. In 2015, Stalin himself promised to make Urdu compulsory in schools, a move that contradicts his current stand against Hindi. BJP’s Amit Malviya rightly pointed out this contradiction – why is Hindi considered a threat but not Urdu, an amalgamation of Persian and Hindustani, brought by invaders? This selective outrage exposes the DMK’s political opportunism.
The myth of Hindi’s ‘hegemonic’ takeover
Stalin claims that Hindi has destroyed more than 25 native languages in North India, including Maithili, Brajbhasha, Bundelkhandi, and Awadhi. However, this argument is misleading. These languages, classified as dialects of Hindi, continue to be spoken, though they may not be widely written or formally taught. The same process has unfolded in the South – Badaga and Kurumba in Tamil Nadu, or Tulu in Karnataka, have seen a decline. The difference is that Hindi is often demonised, while regional languages in the South face similar challenges without the same level of scrutiny.
Furthermore, Tamil Nadu’s claim that the National Education Policy (NEP) forces Sanskrit upon students is misleading. The policy provides flexibility in the choice of languages, and in many states, regional languages are being promoted alongside Hindi and English. The argument that Hindi is an ‘imposition’ collapses when one considers that students in Tamil Nadu are free to study Tamil and English, with no compulsion to adopt Hindi.
A true federal spirit: Embrace, don’t reject
If every state adopts Tamil Nadu’s parochial approach, how can India function as a federal nation? Language is meant to unite, not divide. A healthy linguistic ecosystem should encourage regional languages while also fostering communication at a national level. Rejecting Hindi outright, while simultaneously promoting English and Urdu, reeks of political hypocrisy.
The reality is that Hindi is not the enemy. The real threat to Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam is not from Hindi but from English and the apathy of regional leaders who fail to invest in language preservation. Instead of opposing Hindi out of sheer political defiance, southern leaders should focus on revitalising their own indigenous tongues.
The DMK’s obsession with fighting Hindi at every turn is not about protecting Tamil – it is about maintaining a political narrative that thrives on division. If Tamil Nadu truly values linguistic identity, it should begin by preserving the languages that have been swallowed up within its own borders. Only then will its fight against ‘imposition’ carry any moral weight.