Making Hindi compulsory an ‘unfavourable policy’ says NESO
Dimapur, April 12 (MExN): The North East Students’' Organisation (NESO) has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to withdraw the “unfavourable policy” of making Hindi a compulsory subject, and instead urged for further uplift of the indigenous languages of the North East region.
“The imposition of Hindi as a compulsory subject in the North East region will be detrimental not only for the propagation and dissemination of the indigenous languages but also to students who will be compelled to add another compulsory subject to their already vast syllabus,” NESO Chairperson Samuel Jyrwa and Secretary General Sinam Prakash Singh noted in their letter on April 11.
NESO which is a conglomeration of eight apex student bodies of the indigenous student groups across the North-eastern states also voiced its strong opposition to the proposal in the recently concluded Parliamentary Official Language Committee that the subject of Hindi language would be made compulsory till class X in the region.
While acknowledging that the Hindi language accounts for approximately 40-43 percent of native speakers in India, the NESO noted that there are a plethora of other native languages in India which are rich, thriving and vibrant in their own perspectives giving India an image of a diverse and multi-lingual nation.
As such, “In the North Eastern region each state bears its own unique and diversified languages spoken by different ethnic groups ranging from Indo-Aryan to Tibeto-Burman, to Austro-Asiatic families. In the region, a native or indigenous language or a mother tongue is an important marker for a community. Native or indigenous languages are being further enriched in terms of all aspects such as in literature, academics and arts,” they pointed out.
NESO viewed that the move to make Hindi, which is one of the Modern Indian Language (MIL) subjects, compulsory is more or less like “belittling the indigenous language spoken and written by a particular community,” and urged the Home Minister to withdraw such an unfavourable policy and instead, focus on how to further uplift the indigenous languages of the North East region such as incorporation in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and facilitating more schemes for their development and progress.
“The NESO is vehemently against this policy and will continue to oppose as it had done in the past. As per the understanding of the organisation, such a move will not usher in unity but will be a tool to create apprehensions and disharmony,” it maintained.
NESO comprises of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), All Manipur Students’ Union (AMSU), Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU), Garo Students’ Union (GSU), Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), and Khasi Students’ Union (KSU).
Compulsory imposition will propagate misunderstanding: NSF
Similarly, the Naga Students’ Federation while opposing the proposal in a press release on Tuesday reminded that the North East Region was home to a plethora of Indigenous groups with diverse culture, race, language and religions.
“Compulsory imposition of a particular language will only propagate disunity and misunderstanding among the peace loving citizens and indigenous people of North East states,” NSF President Kegwayhun Tep and Education Secretary Medovi Rhi stated in the release.
Underscoring that Indigenous languages are the identity of the multiple communities in the region, it said that the proposal would also undermine the languages of ethnic groups of NER and compromise its richness and uniqueness.
“Making Hindi a compulsory subject for the students till Class 10 (X) in NER shall only invite confusions, hurdles and discomfort for the student community and the Naga people in general, as it has been an elective subject in the region till today for its own reason,” it said while urging the Central Government to revoke the decision in order to maintain peaceful co-existence and to avoid any further misunderstandings.
The Federation shall spare no efforts to safeguard the interests and sentiments of the Naga people in particular and the NER in general as the entire region is against the proposed imposition, it added.
