June 26, 1954
Linguistic Chauvinism and Not Hindi is the Menace
THIS review is concerned ex-
clusively w i t h the appendix to
this slim volume,* Sir Jadunath
Sarkar's articles on H i n d i which
had originally appeared in the
Hindusthan Standard. In these
two little essays the doyen of India's
historians expounds the thesis that
it is a gross mistake on several
counts to attempt to replace Eng-
lish w i t h H i n d i in all those spheres
in which English has been para-
mount in India for the past two
centuries or so. This is a point of
view shared by a dwindling number
of scholars and public men in India
today; a decidedly unpopular stand
in these days of fierce linguistic
nationalism. A n d while we may
admire h i m the courage of his con-
victions (the articles are dated 1st
and 15th February, 1953), Prof
Sarkar is clearly not the man to
take up the championship of the
cause of English. One gets the de-
cided impression that he is not so
much pro-English (and the Roman
script, by the way) as he is anti-
H i n d i . Thus though he brings out
a few basically sound points, his
arguments by and large have a hol-
low, unconvincing ring to them.
Furthermore, the author gives pain-
ful evidence of an almost total lack
of understanding of many of the
most basic aspects of language gene-
rally, and of India's language prob-
lems in particular.
T h a t Sir Jadunath Sarkar is out
to belabour H i n d i w i t h the cudgel
of (among others) inadequacy is
clear from the main burden of the
first article, on the danger (very
real, I admit) of replacing English
in the realm of higher education,
with H i n d i . While he points up
some serious practical problems in
the implementation of a change of
medium of instruction w i t h which
we might all concur, and while he
does bring out some of the decided
benefits of retaining English, it is
wildly unrealistic (and unjustified)
to level the accusing finger at H i n d i
as the villainous menace. The
threat to higher education in India
(and I repeat that it is'a real one)
lies not in replacing English w i t h
H i n d i , but in replacing English, at
* Bubbles by Satis Chandra Sinha;
with two articles on Compulsory Hindi
by Sir Jadunath Sarkar, K t , CIE, Hony
D Litt. S C Sarkar & Sons Ltd, Cal-
cutta. Pp 125, Rs 5,
O L Chavarria-Aguilar
this crucial juncture, w i t h any of
the Indian languages. The real
threat lies in the direction of the
widespread and uncompromising
linguistic chauvinism which is out
to oust the English language and
to replace it overnight, willy nilly,
w i t h languages which are woefully
ill-equipped—particularly i n t h e
sciences and technology—for the
task of imparting higher education.
For Dr Raghu Vira's numerous and
voluminous publications notwith-
standing, the Indian languages, in-
cluding H i n d i , simply are not as yet
sufficiently developed to handle the
experimental data of the many
spheres of intellectual endeavour
which have been, even in India, the
exclusive preserve of English for the
last couple of hundred years. Thus
when Sir Jadunath says that
" Hindi-trained science graduates
will always lag 30 or 40 years be-
hind the English-medium scientists
in I n d i a " , the realist w i n agree.
However, if we do not wish to suc-
cumb, as the great historian seems
to have succumbed, to the not very
substantial demon of " H i n d i I m -
perialism ", we must in all fairness
admit that the same will be the
fate of the Telugu-traint-d, the
Marathi-trained, the Tamil-trained
and even of the Bengali-trained.
For in effect it is through these
and the other languages of the
Eighth Schedule of the Constitution
of India, and not only through
H i n d i , that the displacement of
English is to be effected, and has
indeed, in some states, been already
effected.
It would, however, be just as un-
realistic to argue that English should
be retained as it is for ever. I do
not wish to argue here the merits
of the case, but it should be abun-
dantly clear to us a l l , that English
must go. I cannot agree w i t h Prof
Sarkar that the displacement of Eng-
lish w i l l be a disservice to the com-
ing generations of India. I do feel,
however, that to throw out English,
from one day to the next, without
making fully certain that its re-
placement w i l l be as efficient for
all purposes, and simply to satisfy
a false sense of national pride, will
do incalculable harm to higher edu-
cation in I n d i a for many, many
years to come. What is needed is
caution and reason; to understand
thoroughly the implications of the
problems involved (which too few
713
seem to do) before proceeding. I f ,
for example, we wish to sink a well
we do not, in this day and age,
grab the nearest pick and shovel
and commence digging at random;
we make use instead, in so far as
possible, of the best, most modern
and most efficient drilling equip-
ment available. I f , today, English
is the most efficient tool for plumb-
ing the well of knowledge in the
realm of higher education (and I
believe that it is), it should not be
disdained and disparaged simply
because it is a foreign make. A n d ,
to continue the analogy, when the
pump must, for whatever reason, be
replaced, we do not immediately dis-
card it and go back to the bucket.
We make the old pump do until we
can build or purchase a new one,
equally or more efficient than the
old. English is still adequate,
though for many more or less valid
reasons it must be replaced. Be-
fore it is rooted out, let there be
perfect certainty that it is being re-
placed not with an old bucket, com-
ing apart at the seams and incap-
able of holding the waters of know-
ledge, but with an equally capable
medium (or media) of university
instruction. Let there be no doubt
that the media of instruction that
are to replace English are equally
developed and efficient to under-
take the tasks thrust upon them.
U n t i l such time as the Indian lan-
guages are fully capable of dealing-
w i t h all the experimental data of
the modern world let English con-
tinue to do the j o b ; let the task
of developing adequate replacement
media be soberly and sanely seen to.
A n d let the other languages of India
be given equal care and attention
with Hindi.
Now Sir Jadunath is also appre-
hensive lest " in the longer view of
the nation's future in the modern
competitive w o r l d H i n d i should re-
place English " to the nation's dis-
advantage, " as the medium of our
commercial intercourse". A s i d e
from the fact that he seems un-
aware of the provisions of Part
X V I I (Arts 343-351) of the Indian
Constitution, the author of these
articles is totally ignorant of the role
of language in society and of the
nature of the incentives toward
language learning. The two p r i n -
cipal incentives toward learn-
ing a language—any language
—are intellectual and economic.
June 26, 1954
T h a t is, one learns a given language
regional languages. There is cer- of course, the alternative of the
either because one wishes to learn tainly nothing in the I n d i a n Con- forceful imposition of H i n d i as
what has been said and is being said stitution that aims at making H i n d i other than the official language, but
in that language, from the highest " the cultural language of I n d i a ," I doubt whether there are more
philosophical and poetic inspiration as the author fears, nor anything than a handful of fanatics (and
to the lowly signs on bathroom even hinting at " official pressure to there w i l l doubtless always be some)
doors, or because certain economic keep the creative genius of a people who seriously consider such a course
advantages w i l l accrue to one flowing in a channel which is desirable. A n d anyway, it probably
through the agency of t h a t neither their mother tongue nor the would not work.
language. language they use in their inter- Finally, I cannot close this re-
So long as a true spirit of scienti-
course w i t h the outer world ". He view without calling Sir Jadunath
fic enquiry flourishes, the hundreds is grappling w i t h phantoms. " Offi- Sarkar to account for one statement
of specialized (and often obscure) cial purposes of the U n i o n , " as the (at least). The .Spanish spoken in
technical and scientific publications,Constitution clearly has it, certain- L a t i n America is not, as he says,
which Sir Jadunath feels w i l l be ly cannot be taken to apply to " corrupt Spanish ". L a t i n Ameri-
beyond the intellectual ken of a foreign trade, nor does it apply to can Spanish is no more corrupt
non-English knowing body of stu- the channel for " creative genius". than American as against British
dents and scientists i n India, will The former activity w i l l continue English. ( O f course, if the learned
never be neglected. Whether these to be carried on in English for ob- historian does consider American
publications be in English, German, vious reasons; the latter never English to be no more than a cor-
Russian, Japanese, Esperanto, M o - sought expression through English, rupt form of the parent speech, I
roccan, Arabic or whatever, as long except by free choice in the case concede the battle.) Language
as the thirst for knowledge remains of a handful, t u t through the cannot be corrupted in the usual
alive in India, these languages will mother tongue. I doubt seriously sense; it may change, but that is
be mastered and all degrees and whether any constitutional or other all. So long as a form of speech
levels of thought expressed in them act or fiat will change that sub- adequately serves the community
w i l l be sought and assimilated. stantially. A n d when Sir Jadunath employing it for the communication
In the world of commerce the maintains that " original creation and expression of thought and for
position of English is even more and the lucid exposition of the the organising of experience, it is
secure. When the eminent historian highest thoughts are easier in Eng- as much a language as the most
states that English " has almost won lish than in H i n d i to a Bengali, polished literary form of speech; it
the position of a w o r l d language",Andhra, T a m i l or M a r a t h a " , has may be a dialectal or variant f o r m
he is considerably understanding the it ever occurred to h i m that this is of a " s t a n d a r d " or " p a r e n t " lan-
fact. I think English can be safely probably because those to w h o m he guage, but it is never corrupt.
said to be the de facto medium of refers (and surely he cannot mean
international intercourse through- all Bengalis, Andhras, - etc) have
out most of the civilised world to- studied intensively or been educat-
day; It owes this position primarily ed through the medium of English?
to two factors: the assiduous com- T h a t they have doubtless never
mercial enterprise of the 18th and really studied H i n d i , let alone been
19th century British (British I m - educated through the medium of
that language? .
perialism, if you w i l l ) , and the pre-
sent status of the U n i t e d States as Sir Jadunath is clearly trembling
the foremost commercial power of before the wrong ogre. It is l i n -
the modern world (and let it be guistic chauvinism, of whatever
admitted that the prestige in science stripe or complexion, that he must
and technology which the U n i t e d fear and not H i n d i . Despite con-
States enjoys today is not unrelated stitutional recognition, H i n d i can-
to its pre-eminence as a commercial not become the de facto National
nation). It is almost an historical Language of India u n t i l :
axiom that no nation has ever suc- (1) The people of the sub-conti-
cessfully imposed its own language nent, in all walks of life,
on a conquered people by force. recognise it and accept it as
Languages have always been accept- the most convenient and most
ed by a conquered people only when widely understood medium
they have realised that to do so for commercial and other
would benefit them, intellectually purposes of nation-wide com-
and materially. A n d the case of munication; and
conquerors accepting the language (2) until what is written in
(and the superior culture) of a H i n d i (whether original
conquered people is not rare. The creations or translations) has
Mongols, who periodically invaded more to offer intellectually
and subjugated China, inevitably than any other I n d i a n
ended by becoming, in speech as in "language.
other aspects, as much, if not more, A n d , in any event, the process must
Chinese than the Chinese them- be gradual, and the other regional
selves. languages, in the meantime, have
I cannot see in H i n d i , as Sir the opportunity in all but " official
Jadunath seems prophetically to purposes of the U n i o n " to fight
see, a threat to the existence of the back, as it were. There remains,
714