Hindi not an adversary, but companion to all languages: Shah
Hindi is not an adversary to any Indian language rather a 'companion to all', Union home minister Amit Shah said on Thursday, adding that there should be no opposition to any foreign languages. Union home minister Amit Shah said that everyone should get rid of 'slave mentality' and until a person takes pride in his own language that person cannot be free from the mentality of slavery. (PTI)
Addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of the Central government's official language department, Shah said that all attempts to divide India on linguistic lines in the past have failed.
'I sincerely believe that Hindi can't be opposed ('virodhi') to any Indian language. Hindi is a friend ('sakhi') of all Indian languages,' the home minister said. Hindi and other Indian languages together can take the self-esteem of the country's culture to its final destination, Shah said.
The home minister said that everyone should get rid of 'slave mentality' and until a person takes pride in his own language that person cannot be free from the mentality of slavery.
'There is no opposition to any language. There should not be any opposition to any foreign language. But there should be an urge to glorify one's own language, there should be an urge to speak one's own language, there should be an urge to think in one's own language,' he said.
The comments came days after Shah triggered a row when he said that India's culture and history could not be fully understood through 'foreign languages', calling for a return to Indian languages to preserve cultural integrity. Speaking at a book launch on June 19, Shah said 'those who speak English will soon feel ashamed'.
At Thursday's event, Shah said, 'It is important to keep Indian languages alive and enrich them. We should make all efforts in the coming days for all Indian languages, especially for the official language.'
He said the country's administration should align with the spirit of the nation, and for the self-respect of Indian languages, administrative functions should also be conducted in Indian languages.
'In the last few decades, language was used as a means to try to divide India. This move was not successful even though efforts were made. We will ensure that our languages become a powerful medium to unite India,' he said.
The home minister said the official language department will work in this endeavour.
He urged language experts to contribute to the digital 'Hindi Shabd Sindhu' dictionary and assured that all newly incorporated words will be widely promoted.
Shah said that the its primary aim of the official language department was to make administration accessible in a language that citizens can understand. 'No country can preserve the culture, literature, history and social morals by separating them from their language. It is important to run the administration of any country in its own language to be able to progress based on its culture and with self-respect,' Shah said.
The Official Language Department was established in 1975 to promote the use of Hindi in government functioning and official communication.
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