Who's afraid of Mysore Pak? The bitter taste of India's language wars
Ironically, in the case of these sweets, 'pak' is rooted in the Sanskrit term 'pakva' (meaning 'cooked'), with cognates in several Indian languages, including Kannada. On the other end of the country, Hyderabad's Karachi Bakery faced vandalism for using the name of a Pakistani city, despite being founded by a Sindhi Hindu refugee who migrated from Karachi in 1947. Such acts of linguistic intolerance are not isolated but part of a larger pattern where language is being used to fuel differences.
Kamal Haasan's remark that Kannada is born out of Tamil sparked a row
Words of Arabic origin, such as jihad (spiritual struggle), halala (permissible), talaq (divorce), sharia (Islamic law), and hijab (veil), have been used by political groups to marginalise and discriminate against communities. Conversely, innocuous Sanskrit-derived terms like bhakta (devotee), gobar (cow dung), gaumutra (cow urine), and mandir (temple) are stigmatised by opposing groups to demean and trivialise cultural practices and identities. Jai Shree Ram (Victory to Lord Rama) and Allahu Akbar (God is Great), once expressions of devotion, have been twisted into polarizing war cries. Forget humans, even AI chatbots like X's Grok have been manipulated to abuse and dehumanize people, communities and organisations using the 'unhinged mode' feature.
More worrying than the language conflicts on social media is what is playing out on the streets. Skirmishes have been reported in several cities with migrant workers becoming soft targets for these 'language vigilantes'.
In a nation where languages are deeply intertwined with cultural identity and pride, these conflicts over language use, words and signage strike at the heart of personal and communal belonging.
But why is India's linguistic diversity — it has over 424 distinct languages — under strain? Among the reasons are the continued distrust of multilingualism by central and state govts, inconsistent implementation of the three-language policy, and the push for a 'one-country, one-language' ideology based on a European model of a nation state.
Moreover, state govts are implicitly supporting this ideology of linguistic homogenization. A 2024 Kerala govt order mandated exclusive use of Malayalam in public advertisements and notices, prohibiting multilingual signs. Govts in UP, MP, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan have been actively replacing names of villages and cities perceived as Islamic with those reflecting Hindu heritage. In MP, for instance, Mohammadpur Machanai village was changed to Mohanpur, and Hajipur was renamed Hirapur. Critics argue that such renaming erases centuries of coexistence and shared history, while proponents claim it restores a pre-colonial identity.
So widespread is linguistic prejudice in India that regional variations of a widely spoken language like Hindi are stigmatised. Hindi speakers from eastern states like Bihar and Jharkhand often face mockery for their distinct accents, word choices, and oral expressions. Their mother tongues, such as Bhojpuri, Magahi, and Angika, are labeled as crude or vulgar. By linking the perceived vulgarity of Bhojpuri films and songs to the language itself, the entire Bhojpuri-speaking community is viewed through a prejudiced lens. Similarly, though Telangana Telugu and coastal Telugu share a common script and a unified cultural history, Telangana Telugu has been treated historically as inferior. In films, Telangana Telugu speakers were frequently portrayed as comical or foolish. These linguistic, cultural, and social differences contributed to the 2014 separation of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
In fact, there is a competitive race among linguistic groups to claim the antiquity of their languages. A recent flashpoint was actor Kamal Haasan's remark that Kannada was born out of Tamil which sparked a sharp backlash. The Indian govt's 'classical' tag for certain 'dominant languages' — the 2024-25 list included Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali — has also become a coveted badge of prestige. These languages already receive significant budgetary support from both Union and state govts. Such official labels often end up intensifying conflicts and further marginalising resource-scarce minority languages like Tulu, Bhili, Gondi, Santali, Dogri, Angami, Lotha, Mizo, Garo, Khasi, Badaga, Irula etc.
Far from being a unifying force, languages have become tools of polarisation in electoral politics. If India is to uphold its democratic ideals, the embrace of multilingualism must be more than symbolic. It must be actively nurtured, through policy, education, and public discourse. Languages are not just a medium of communication; they are the essence of identity, culture, and coexistence.
Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author's own.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
KRV protests against MES stance
Caption: Activists of KRV (Shivaramegowda faction) stage a protest in Belagavi on Tuesday Belagavi: Activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV Shivaramegowda faction) staged a protest in Belagavi on Tuesday, condemning the stance of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) regarding the mandatory implementation of the Kannada language on signboards in the city. Demanding the dismissal of Ravi Salunke from the membership of Belagavi City Corporation and a ban on MES, KRV activists protested and submitted a memorandum to the district administration. The activists, who marched from Channamma Circle to DC's office, raised slogans against the MES. The activists said MES has submitted a petition to the district administration not to implement mandatory Kannada in nameplates. The district administration should not pay attention to this and should speed up the work of mandatory installation of Kannada in leaders intentionally install nameplates in Marathi during Ganesh Utsav and Dussehra. The district administration should not allow this. Kannada should be made mandatory on nameplates as per the govt order. Even so, if nameplates are installed in Marathi, they will have to be painted black, they warned. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Where's the full picture? SEP draws mixed reactions, stakeholders seek transparency
Bengaluru: The State Education Policy released Friday evening received mixed reactions from stakeholders. The demand for the full report to be made public was raised from various quarters. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The overall feeling one gets from reading the highlights of the higher education part is that the SEP seems to be pushing for a status quo that existed before NEP. It has not taken any moves to think beyond the existing norms like how NEP did. Additionally, the report is overwhelmingly focused on the pride of Kannada," said an educationist. "Some of the steps recommended by the SEP committee have been tried and failed in other states. For instance, there is a mention of the district academic committees headed by educationists in higher education. Kerala has a similar system. Ask any college in Kerala, they would explain the damage it is doing to them in terms of excessive control. The system of free education for girl children through scholarships was introduced in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The colleges have not been regularly reimbursed by the govt. We would like to know whether the committee has done a feasibility study on it, for which, we will need the entire report," he added. Educationists are also worried Karnataka, with its 3+2 years system of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, will find it difficult in credit mobility as the other states will be following NEP model. The minimum slab of four years for PhD is also worrisome, as it will discourage more students from pursuing doctorates. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The problem was that NEP was equated with BJP. The new policy brought out is more rhetoric and playing to the gallery. However, we will be able to get a full picture only once the report is completely made public," he said. SEP has proposed a two-language policy and Kannada/mother tongue as a medium of instruction until class 5. Various school associations were on different terms on the issue. D Shashi Kumar, secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka, said students have been taken back almost 25 years. "Mandating a medium of instruction is against the right of a parent to choose the language, which was upheld by a Supreme Court constitutional bench verdict. The two-language policy can harm students as other medium students will not get to learn Kannada. Also, diluting NCERT will be a disadvantage for our students when they have to compete at a national level," he said. On the other hand, Karnataka Registered Unaided Private Schools Association welcomed the report. The report speaks of fee regulation in private schools. However, the parents' association that has battled the issue for years is still unconvinced. Sijo Sebastian, secretary of Voice of Parents, said: "The govt's new SEP, touted as 'enforcement' of EWS admissions and fee regulation, does not address the long-standing failure to implement existing laws. Karnataka's education framework has existed since 1983; the RTE Act (2009) and Karnataka RTE Rules (2012) already mandate EWS admissions and equitable access. What is needed is credible implementation, time-bound EWS enforcement, transparent fee regulation with disclosures, a single-window grievance system with penalties for non-compliance, timely reimbursements, and active monitoring of pending cases, before announcing new schemes," he added. The proposal to extend RTE till 18 years was welcomed by all. Similarly, parents who have been fighting against the six-year admission rule were relieved at the 90 days relaxation for it. "We request the department to implement these norms immediately so that next year's students will benefit," said a parent.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
117 endangered languages being preserved, documented: Kiren Rijiju
New Delhi: As many as 117 endangered languages/mother tongues, spoken by less than 10,000 people, have been chosen from all over India for study and documentation under a Central government scheme, the Rajya Sabha was informed. Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply, said that Bharatavani, a digital knowledge platform dedicated to Indian languages, has represented 77 tribal languages, offering resources across language learning, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and glossaries. Rijiju said that the Central government is promoting Sanskrit through three Central Universities, which are provided funds as per the requirement and utilisation. The Central government has initiated a scheme known as "Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages of India (SPPEL) for the preservation of languages, he said. Under this Scheme, the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysuru, works on protection, preservation and documentation of all the mother tongues/languages of India spoken by less than 10,000 people, which are called endangered languages. The minister said that the policy of the Government is to promote all Indian languages, including classical languages. He said the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) works for the promotion of all Indian languages, including four classical languages like Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia. Development and promotion of Classical Tamil is done by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai, said the Minister. In 2024-25, Rs 83.50 lakh each were spent on Kannada, Telugu, Odia and Malayalam. During this period, Rs 1,430 lakh were spent on Tamil, he said. Elaborating on steps to promote mother tongues, the minister said, 'The Department of School Education and Literacy has implemented several key initiatives to advance early literacy and multilingual education across India, such as the development of 117 primers in 22 Scheduled and 99 Non-Scheduled languages, along with 52 additional primers in local and mother tongues by NCERT and CIIL.' The government has taken several initiatives to promote Indian languages in higher education and technical fields, the Minister said. The AICTE has provided engineering textbooks in 12 Indian languages. The first Marathi-medium engineering batch from Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (Pune), graduated successfully, he said. Major exams like NET, CTET, NEET, JEE, CUET, and SSC are now conducted in 12 Indian languages. Additionally, the UGC allows students to write exams in local languages, irrespective of the medium of instruction, he said.
