Hindi vs Tamil

Illustration by Copilot Designer

Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin has once again pitted the Tamil pride against Hindi pride. He has been championing the Dravidian cause against the Aryan Shahs of Delhi for quite some time now. Just last month, he offered a prize of $1 million to anyone who can decode the Indus Valley script which, Stalin believes as I too do, was proto-Dravidian.

As a South Indian, I’m on Stalin’s side. The North shouldn’t impose their culture and language and gods on the Southerners. I’m not speaking on behalf of anyone, please. I’m expressing my personal views. If some people of South India want to be bossed over by someone from the North, that’s their wish and I have no problem with it. I don’t want a native version of colonialism.

Like Stalin, I too believe that the Indus Valley Civilisation was Dravidian. Like him again, I would like more research to go into it. The truth may take the entire the wind out of the Hindutva sails. Moreover, the steamroller that the Hindutva shenanigans have set in motion pulverising regional cultures and languages has to lose its steam for the survival of the infinite variety that makes up India.

There’s one thing, however, on which I disagree with Stalin and many other Tamil people. While their pride in their language, whose history goes back to as many years as that of Sanskrit, is justified, their opposition to Hindi is not. Whenever Stalin and other Tamils oppose Hindi, I’m reminded of Shakespeare’s Caliban.

Caliban was the master of the island on which he lived alone until Prospero landed on it. Prospero uses all his powers to bring Caliban under his control, a colonial control of sorts. Eventually Caliban learns Prospero’s language and is happy to be able to “curse” Prospero in his own language.

Language is power. The New Education Policy of India is seeking to impose Hindi all over the country. This is one of the prominent grievances of Stalin. He is right too. And they will succeed in the effort by and by. India is being transformed slowly but steadily, and not so stealthily, by her Conservo-saurus Rex in Indraprastha. Trying to stop that juggernaut is like a mosquito trying to push an elephant back.

A more pragmatic solution is what Caliban can teach us. Learn their language and oppose them in that language. Anyway, they aren’t going to learn our language. Even the British colonisers leant the local languages. But our very own native colonisers don’t intend to condescend. So, learn their language and tell them in that language about your rights and gods and whatever.

Caliban teaches us that language can be used skilfully to preserve identity and shape resistance. “Be not afraid; the isle is full of noises,” Caliban says. He is connected with the island and its noises, its very soul. Unlike Prospero, the “tyrant who enslaved” him. He learns Prospero’s language which he uses effectively for his redemption from oppressive forces.

Caliban teaches us that language is more than communication. Language shapes identity, relationships, and power dynamics. I regret that I didn’t learn Hindi better when I had the opportunity while working in Delhi. I wish Stalin changes his stance on this one issue.