1965 Anti-Hindi Agitations in Tamil Nadu by Rohan Bachmann

 

A language can be a divisive feature of a nation's identity. For example, Hindi is a major language of India and a hallmark of the nation's identity. However, the inhabitants of the Southern state of Tamil Nadu speak Tamil. There have been many incidents of violence in this state of India as a result of the Hindi language's rising authority. The first incident began in 1937 with the Indian National Congress making Hindi the offical language of Madras. After winning the Madras election the Indian National Congress created legislation that mandated the teaching of Hindi in secondary educational institutions. This prompted pushback from the Tamil people as they felt that Hindi didn’t represent them as a language. They felt that, similar to Bangladesh in 1971, the northern Indians were trying to dominate and imperialize control over South India.

Together the Self-Respect Movement and the Justice Party capitalized on the pushback against Hindi. We also saw women’s organizations and Tamil scholars advocate against the use of Hindi in Madras (now Chennai). Roughly 1,200 people were arrested in the first round of anti-Hindi conflict in Tamil Nadu.

In 1965, the circumstances were different. Indian full independence in 1950 created a 15 year transition period between English and Hindi. The Tamils were fed up. If their language wasn’t receiving respect, they questioned why Hindi should receive priority. In the election they voted the Indian National Congress out of power and elected the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) to lead the nation. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, or Dravidian Progressive Federation, is a major regional party in Tamil Nadu which promotes Tamil culture and language.The Dravida Munnetra also is a strong supporter of social equality and a strong opponent of the caste system. The Indian National Congress never gained control of Tamil Nadu after this incident.

Source: https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/history-anti-hindi-imposition-movements-tamil-nadu-102983

This is an example of how a language used to unite the people of India eventually turned them against each other and caused division. It also shows how the language of Tamil was used by the Tamils to create a sense of identity among their people. Language is a force that the world should reckon with. It's more than what you say; it is the hallmark of your identity and your culture.