"Language is the soul of a nation, not just a medium of communication," says Union Minister Amit Shah
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that languages were not just a medium of communication, but the soul of the nation, further stating that it was necessary to keep languages alive and enrich them.
'As far as the country is concerned, language is not just a medium of communication; it is the soul of a nation. It is important to keep the languages alive and to enrich them. We should make all these efforts in the coming days for all Indian languages and especially for the official language,' he said.
Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Official Language Department in Delhi. Amit Shah said that Hindi was a friend of all the Indian languages, further stating that Hindi and Indian languages together could play an important role in enhancing the nation's self-esteem.
'I believe from my heart that Hindi cannot be the enemy of any Indian language. Hindi is a friend of all Indian languages , and Hindi and Indian languages together can take our self-esteem program to its ultimate goal. There is no opposition to any language; there should not be opposition to any foreign language, but the insistence should be to glorify our language, there should be an insistence to speak our language, and there should be an insistence to think in our language,' he stated.
Shah also said that the country as a whole needs to get rid of the mentality of slavery.
'We should get rid of the mentality of slavery. And until a person takes pride in his language, does not express himself in his language, we cannot be free from the mentality of slavery...' he added.
The Minister highlighted the government's achievements in making sure students could give competitive examinations in multiple Indian languages
'JEE, NEET, CUET are now being taken in 13 languages. Earlier, you could only apply for the constable recruitment of CAPF in English or Hindi. We made it flexible and allowed the exam in 13 languages, and today I am happy to say that 95% of the candidates are giving the constable exam in their mother tongue. This tells how bright the future of Indian languages is in the coming days...'
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was also present at the event. (ANI)
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During his past trips to Tihar, the political activist had become familiar with the authorities. Now, everything had changed. The jailer was in a different mood, abusing detainees as they lined up. 'I wished him, but he shouted, 'Shut up. You haven't been brought in under IPC 107 or 151, but under Misa'.' Among other things, Misa (Maintenance of Internal Security Act, 1971) empowered govt to put anyone in indefinite preventive detention. During Emergency, the dreaded act was implemented with abandon. Many years later, RJD neta Lalu Prasad named his daughter Misa. Jain countered, 'I don't care about Misa. Our fight is with Indira Gandhi, not you.' The jailer didn't take kindly to his manner. 'He probably felt that letting the response pass would encourage insubordination. Political prisoners were put in Ward No. 2. But Ravinder Manchanda — a fellow socialist who later became officer on special duty to PM Chandrashekhar — and I were sent to Ward No. 16, which was meant for B-class criminals. ' 'Interestingly, we also met Charan Singh, who had been Uttar Pradesh CM, in a solitary cell. 'I reminded him that he had once said that jails were not picnic spots, while sending demonstrators to prison. He replied, 'Bhai, I had meant it only for gundas (thugs). I said, 'Indira-ji ki nazar mein, hum dono gundey hain , (In Indira-ji's view, we both are thugs.' He laughed. Over the years, I got to know him more and found him to be a pro-poor and honest politician. ' Prominent detainees at Tihar included Madan Lal Khurana and Arun Jaitley. Many months later, George Fernandes, embroiled in the Baroda Dynamite case, also joined them. 'We would raise slogans, 'George Fernandes zindabad', to boost his morale and make him know that other socialists were also in jail,' says Jain. He recalled Jan Sangh-RSS workers naming their barrack 'Swarg Ashram'. 'We were bachelors and named our barrack 'Sandh (Bull)' ashram,' laughs Jain. 'There was also a 'Do Number Ka Barrack' which had Ananda Margis, Naxalites and Jamaatis, among others.' 'With other political groups, we socialists had milan (agreement) on some issues, and takrao (divergence) on others,' he reminisces. 'Detainees Used An Open Latrine Without Cover' For the first three months, Jain neither had any contact with the outside world, nor any idea as to what was happening beyond the prison walls. The detainees had no access to newspapers or radio. 'After three months, we were allowed to meet relatives once a fortnight,' he says. Going to court or hospital was an outing of sorts. The occasion was used to meet people, relatives and get news of the world. 'But there was an overall atmosphere of terror. Acquaintances were scared to meet us,' Jain says. Searing summers were tough, and harsh winters spent with two blankets. Food was prepared by undertrials. Dal, roti, chawal and sabji — twice a day, with tea in the morning — was passable. But absence of hygiene was a problem. The aluminium utensils were dipped in water, seldom washed. 'Sometimes, the plate would have residues of the previous meal,' he remembers, still vexed by the memory. And there was zero privacy. Detainees used an open latrine without cover. 'You were visible to everyone around,' he says. Letters, in and out, were always censored. But one of them brought good news. Jain, a postgraduate in history and Hindi, was on probation as a lecturer when arrested. 'I received my confirmation letter in jail,' he says. Spending time wasn't difficult, Jain says. He was used to prison, though not for such a long duration. 'I would exercise, do yoga, attend group meetings, chat with other political prisoners. There was a study circle too. I read Gandhiji's Hind Swaraj, Nehru's Discovery of India, Lohia's works, even Gone with the Wind,' Jain recollects. 'Sometimes, to raise optimism levels, we would shout slogans such as ' Dum hai kitna daman mein tere, dekh liya aur dekhenge/ Jagah hai kitna jail mein tere, dekh liya aur dekhenge . (We have seen your oppression/ We will see how many more you can fill in jail)'. Unlike some cadres of other parties, we were never desperate to leave jail. We felt alive,' he says. 'Emergency Was Over. But People Were Still Afraid' More than a year had elapsed when authorities shifted the 'troublemakers' to Haryana's Hissar jail. Socialist leader Raj Narain and later Jan Sangh's V K Malhotra, earlier in Ambala jail, were also there. 'The state was then ruled by Bansi Lal and conditions were stricter,' Jain recalls. He also remembers his washed clothes being taken away by others because they all looked the same. 'To ensure this did not happen, I chopped the sleeves of my kurta,' he says. 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