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India Today
3 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why RSS icon MS Golwalkar favoured Hindi as India's official language
Amidst the raging debate over a perceived imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states, critics of the BJP claim that pushing Hindi at the cost of other languages and dialects has been one of the core agendas of the party and its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).A study of the works of Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, aka 'Guruji', reveals that the second sarsanghachalak of the RSS, who was at the helm of the organisation from 1940 to 1973 and had a foundational influence over its ideology, favoured Hindi as India's official language. Golwalkar felt that a Sanskritised version of Hindi should be used till the time Sanskrit, which he described as the 'queen of languages' and one of the 'greatest cementing factors of our national life', became a common language. He was also insistent that English, which he viewed as a relic of India's colonial past, not be a compulsory language in is central to the Hindutva project of the RSS. As Alok Rai says in his book Hindi Nationalism: 'The process of the making of modem 'Hindi' and the making of 'the Hindu community' are related in complex ways. This is not to suggest that I have found in 'Hindi' the master key to the pan-Indian phenomenon of 'Hindutva' in this century. Still, 'Hindi' offers some valuable insights into the wider phenomenon.'This is evident in the writings of Golwalkar, who was heavily influenced by European ideas of the nation state, which are based on a shared religion, national identity, language and culture. 'As a solution to the problem of lingua franca, till the time Sanskrit takes that place, we shall have to give priority to Hindi on the score of convenience. Naturally we have to prefer that form of Hindi which like all other Bharatiya languages, stems from Sanskrit and gets sustenance from Sanskrit for its future growth in all fields of modern knowledge like science and technology. It does not mean that Hindi is the only national language or that it is the oldest or richest of all our languages. In fact, Tamil is a much richer and older language. But Hindi has come to be the spoken language of a large section of our people and is the easiest of all our languages for learning and speaking,' Golwalkar wrote in his book Bunch of Thoughts (1966).'We have therefore to take Hindi in the interest of national unity and self- respect and not allow ourselves to be swept off our feet by slogans like 'Hindi imperialism' or 'domination of the North', etc Any apprehensions of encroachment for dominance over other languages by Hindi are therefore pure fiction cooked up by interested politicians. In fact, with rise of Hindi, all our sister languages also will flourish. The enemy of all our Bharatiya languages is English,' he said in the book.'In fact, all our languages, whether Tamil or Bengali, Marathi or Punjabi, are our national languages. All these languages and dialects are like so many flowers shedding the same rich fragrance of our national culture. The source of inspiration for all these has been the queen of languages, the language of gods—Sanskrit. By virtue of its richness and sacred association, it also can serve as the common medium of our national intercourse. Nor is it difficult to acquire a working knowledge of Sanskrit. Sanskrit is to this day one of the greatest cementing factors of our national life. But, unfortunately, it is not in common usage now nor do our present rulers possess the moral pride and grit to bring it into vogue,' he are some who desire that English continue as the 'lingua franca' for all time to come. Language being a living medium of human intercourse, the foreign language English is bound to bring in its English culture and English life patterns. Allowing foreign life patterns to take root here would mean the undermining of our own culture and dharma,' said Golwalkar. He described the use of English as 'just an artificial imposition that accompanied the English domination and as such must be thrown off now that we have become free'.Golwalkar was also critical of Tamil and Dravidian sub-nationalism. 'These days we are hearing much about Tamil. Some protagonists of Tamil claim it is a distinct language altogether with a separate culture of its own. They disclaim faith in the Vedas, saying that Tirukkural is their distinct scripture. Tirukkural is undoubtedly a great scriptural text more than two thousands year old,' said Golwalkar in the book. He, however, extolled Tirukkural as 'purely a Hindu text propounding great Hindu thoughts in a chaste Hindu language'.In an interview to the Organiser in December 1957, Golwalkar was asked if learning four languages—the mother tongue, Hindi, Sanskrit and English—were a too many for students. This is reminiscent of the controversy over the introduction of Hindi as a third language in schools in Maharashtra from Standard I onwards. Golwalkar replied that 'the most dispensable of the four is English. It should not be a compulsory language'.advertisementWhile speaking to reporters in April 1966 in Delhi, Golwalkar was asked if the imposition of Hindi would be detrimental to the oneness of the country. 'Well, if you think that introduction of any one of our languages is detrimental to the interests of the country, do you go to the other corollary that a foreign language is conducive? If that is not so, do we not require a language of our own for communicating our ideas and thoughts, and for mutual intercourse, which will be common to all of us throughout the country? From this point of view, Hindi is the easiest to learn and it is also already spoken and understood in various parts of the country. Therefore, we say that Hindi should be there. There is no question of posing that one language is superior to another,' he his book We or Our Nationhood Defined (1939), Golwalkar held that there is 'but one language, Sanskrit, of which these many 'languages' are mere offshoots' He added that 'even among the modern languages Hindi is the most commonly understood and used as a medium of expression between persons of different provinces'.advertisement'Thus applying the modern understanding of 'Nation' to our present conditions, the conclusion is unquestionably forced upon us that in this country, Hindusthan, the Hindu Race with its Hindu Religion, Hindu Culture and Hindu Language (the natural family of Sanskrit and her offsprings) complete the Nation concept... All those not belonging to the national i.e. Hindu Race, Religion, Culture and Language, naturally fall out of the pale of real 'National' life,' wrote the postulation of Hindi being the language of a majority of Indians has been dispelled by many, such as author and cultural activist G.N. Devy, who points out that according to the 2011 Census, the country over had 528 million Hindi language speakers. This figure combined 206.1 million people whose mother tongues had been grouped under the Hindi language as its variants. This included Bhojpuri, with over 50.5 million speakers, Chhattisgarhi (16.2 million), Kumauni (2.08 million). So, if these 206.1 million people were subtracted from the number of Hindi speakers, their numbers dropped to just around 320 million. Considering that the Census had a base of 1,210 million, this meant that barely a fourth of the population spoke Mukhopadhyay, author and journalist, who has written extensively on the Hindu right, said that the historical backdrop of the launch and growth of the RSS should be accounted for while considering its advocacy of Hindi. The RSS was founded in 1925 in Maharashtra, but towards the late 1930s, was looking at branching out. The Hindi-speaking areas were most easily accessible for the Sangh.'Then, the Indo-Gangetic plains up were witnessing intense linguistic politics over Urdu. The period also saw growing support for the two-nation theory, where Urdu was reduced to being a language of the Muslims, and Hindi that of the Hindus. The RSS found a strong connect between language, religion and culture. This gave rise to slogans of 'Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan', where Hindustan was perceived as the land of the Hindus and not as a poetic imagination,' Mukhopadhyay credo became more rooted post-Independence when debates over the national language were taking place in the Constituent Assembly, and there was an agitation in Tamil Nadu against the imposition of Hindi. It was in that period that the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, predecessor of the present-day BJP, advocated Hindi as the national the Ram Mandir agitation was a north Indian movement, with Hindi being a part of the protests and its vocabulary. But when the BJP was consciously trying to broad-base itself and expand in southern states like Karnataka, it had to step down on its insistence for Hindi. 'The promotion of Hindi remains part of the political instinct of a majority of BJP leaders, who hail from northern and western India,' said Mukhopadhyay.'It is their basic commitment, but it cannot push Hindi beyond a point to fulfil their objective of being a pan-Indian party. Hindi remains part of their idea of a collective nation, the idea that we are one in terms of religion, language and culture. The categories of religion and culture are not segregated in their minds. They see Hindi as the language of Hinduism as a culture, and not a religion,' he explained.'The RSS's 'Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan' ideal draws heavily from the European model of nationalism,' said Abhishek Choudhary, author of a two-volume biography of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 'The Sangh Parivar opposed the linguistic reorganisation of states both in principle and practice. During the first wave of statehood movements in the early 1950s—the earliest expression of sub-nationalism in independent India—Vajpayee toured the country warning that linguistic states would lead to the fragmentation of the nation. On this issue, Hindu nationalists and conservative elements within the Congress found common ground in their support for promoting Hindi,' said to India Today Magazine- EndsTune InMust Watch
News18
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Fatima Sana Shaikh Has Unlocked A Unique Way To Carry A Book
Last Updated: Fatima Sana Shaikh kept it casual and cozy with a loose white shirt paired with blue jeans. Fatima Sana Shaikh is on cloud nine after the positive reactions to her recently released film Aap Jaisa Koi, co-starring R Madhavan. Helmed by Vivek Soni and backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, the romantic drama was released on Netflix earlier this month. As the film continues to win hearts online, the actress was recently papped at the Mumbai airport, leaving for an undisclosed location. Fatima Sana Shaikh Spotted At The Airport In a video shared on Instagram, Fatima Sana Shaikh is seen casually posing in front of the cameras stationed at the airport. As it progresses, we see her picking up a bag from her car and putting it on the trolley. The actress then greeted the paps with her adorable smile and headed towards the check-in. Fatima Sana Shaikh's Outfit For The Day: Fatima Sana Shaikh kept it casual and cozy and opted for a loose white shirt paired with blue jeans. She accessorised her look with a sling shoulder bag and a wristwatch. The key highlight of her overall look was the way she placed a book, tucked between the bag's strap, giving her fans a tip about how to carry their novels during flights. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Instant Bollywood Videos (@instantbollywoodvideos) How Did Her Fans React? As soon as the clip was shared online, the comment section was flooded with reactions. An Instagram user wrote, 'Good idea." Another one commented, 'New trick launched." One account shared, 'Unlocked a new way to hold a book." Fatima Sana Shaikh's Upcoming Projects: She was recently seen in the romantic drama Aap Jaisa Koi, opposite R Madhavan. The film is a love story about how love can overcome clashes between two different cultures and ideologies. In the film, R Madhavan plays the role of Srirenu Tripathi, a Sanskrit professor who has been brought up in a strict family, while Fatima Sana Shaikh plays Madhu Bose, who hails from an independent family and believes in speaking her mind. Up next, Fatima Sana Shaikh will be seen in a romantic drama, Gustaakh Ishq, opposite Vijay Varma. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
As a child, Rajinder Nath let me into his rehearsals — I watched as he shaped Delhi's theatre scene
Rajinder Nath (1934–2025) died on July 24. For me, this was one more in the count that had started quite some time ago, when one by one the pioneers and stalwarts of the 'Group Theatre Movement' (a term coined in Calcutta) left the stage, making space for the new guard. I personally knew many of them well, not as a theatre person, but by dint of having been born into a household where theatre was a part of life. I was probably the youngest person to have had the privilege of observing Rajinder ji and Abhiyan, the Hindi theatre group that he had founded, on their remarkable journey on Delhi's stage. If I remember right, I was all of 10 years old when I started identifying Abhiyan's productions as being different — more sophisticated — from most others that I had the opportunity to see almost every evening in the AIFACS auditorium. This unique privilege was mine because I used to live on the top floor of the building that housed the theatre auditorium in AIFACS, considered to be the best in Delhi and in all probability one of the very best in all of India. AIFACS or the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society was the cultural hub of New Delhi in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. It, therefore, attracted the best shows from across India and the world. Visiting troupes such as the Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bohurupee, People's Little Theatre Group, and National School of Drama, performed at AIFACS, and it was in this context that I could place Abhiyan's productions. My interest in Abhiyan's productions was also because my father Sitansu Mukherjea was a close friend and collaborator of Rajinder ji. Baba was the lighting designer for every Abhiyan production and also the set designer for some of their productions. I remember seeing Rajinder ji sitting quietly in the seventh or eighth row of the auditorium watching the rehearsals on stage. He would intervene at times to discuss how a dialogue could be delivered, or where the actor should take his or her position. I do not remember him climbing on the stage to show the actors 'how to act'. I have never seen him act himself, but Baba used to say that the only time he had seen Rajinder ji act was in Habib Tanvir's production of Mitzi Ki Gaadi, an adaptation of the Sanskrit play Mricchakatika. In the beginning, my involvement with Abhiyan was primarily as a curious onlooker. As a child, I was allowed in unquestioned even in the midst of rehearsals. This afforded me a ringside view of some of their memorable productions. Many of the actors of Abhiyan later became big names in Hindi cinema. I consider myself lucky to have seen the likes of T P Jain, Sudha Chopra, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Kimti Anand, Chetna Jalan, Om Puri, V M Badola, S M Zaheer, Ravi Bhaswani and Subhash Gupta act on stage before they moved to television and cinema. Rajinder ji and Abhiyan are known for staging the first Hindi version of many contemporary plays written in India. Many of Badal Sircar's plays from Bengali were first performed in Hindi by Abhiyan under Rajinder ji's direction. These were often translated from the original Bengali by Santana ji, his life long partner and collaborator. Vijay Tendulkar was another favourite. Plays such as Ghashiram Kotwal, Kamala, Sakharam Binder and Khamosh Adalat Jaari Hai were first performed in Hindi by Abhiyan; they often had very distinctive sets and lighting-design to enhance the viewing experience. Mohit Chatterjee's Guinea Pig was electrifying to watch. Ashok Bhattacharya's set using full height plastic sheets representing the glass tanks of a laboratory combined with atmospheric lighting design by Baba, enhanced the outstanding performances by Kharbanda, Jalan and Kimti Lal Arora. I remember many small incidents from behind the scenes of several of those shows. Sircar's Saari Raat had a very interesting set by Bhattacharya constructed by stacking packing boxes. In the play, the mention of 'khichdi' as a delicious dish was often wondered at by the actors, who were used to more mundane associations of the dish. To demonstrate the validity of the claim, my mother cooked large quantities of Bengali khichdi and fries in our home. On the last night, after the performance, all the actors and the stage staff sat down on the stage floor to find out if khichdi could actually be delicious. After the rise of Mandi House as the theatre hub of Delhi, Abhiyan's productions were staged in Shri Ram Centre, often in the Basement Theatre, which, if I remember correctly, Rajinder ji had started during his tenure as its director. The plays performed by Abhiyan in that period were smaller in scale and required fewer actors. The more intimate audience seating arrangement in the Basement Theatre was well suited for these productions. Vijay Tendulkar's Jaat Hi Poocho Sadhu Ka was a very popular production, and was first performed in this theatre. As was Udhwasta Dharamshala by G P Deshpande, which had Zaheer and Puri in key roles. By this time I had joined architecture college, and maybe because of this reason I was asked by Rajinder ji to design the sets for Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa. This was my only direct involvement with an Abhiyan production. The set was a simple one of three cloth screens, which I had painted over with impressionistic graphics that were meant to represent the iconic political wall-paintings seen on buildings in Calcutta during the Naxal period. The central panel had an acting area behind it, which was lit during specific scenes when the front acting-area lights faded out. This production also got to be well known, and I remember Govind Nihalani coming backstage to meet Rajinder ji after the show; it was a few years after this incident that Nihalani made the film version of Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa. Those were exciting times, and I was happy to be a spectator of that golden period of theatre in New Delhi. Today when I look back, I realise that Rajinder ji was one of those who had, in a way, started that highly creative period of Hindi theatre in Delhi. His hallmark 'understated' approach had a huge impact on both the audience and on theatre persons across India. Now that he is no more, I remain thankful to him and to Abhiyan for tolerating my presence as a child in their midst when they were so involved in the act of staging, through their plays, what could now be considered important milestones in Indian theatre. Mukherjee, son of eminent theatre personality Sitansu Mukherjea, is an architect
New Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Kerala Kalamandalam marks 60 years of Kutiyattam legacy with global festival
CHERUTHURUTHY/THRISSUR: Sixty years ago, a quiet cultural revolution unfolded in the heart of Kerala. In 1965, Kerala Kalamandalam etched its name in the annals of art history by becoming the first public institution to introduce Koothu and Kutiyattam—the world's oldest surviving Sanskrit theatre tradition, as academic disciplines. This landmark decision, under the stewardship of legendary maestro Guru Painkulam Ramachakyar, would go on to rescue an ancient ritual art from the fading shadows of obscurity. Now, in 2025, Kerala Kalamandalam is set to mark this extraordinary legacy with a grand celebration - the International Festival of Kutiyattam (IFK-2025). The five-day global gathering that began on Tuesday (from July 29 to August 2), promises to be both a tribute and a forward-looking exploration of an art form that continues to evolve. Kutiyattam, once performed in temple theatres for select audiences, is a complex blend of classical Sanskrit drama, stylised gestures (mudras), facial expressions (rasas), and musical accompaniment. Passed down through generations of Chakyars and Nangiars, the form teetered on the edge of extinction by the mid-20th century. Enter Guru Painkulam Ramachakyar - an artist and reformer - who, through Kerala Kalamandalam, opened the art to institutional training, public performance, and academic inquiry.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
UP leads in sports promotion, over 500 athletes given jobs: CM
1 2 Gorakhpur: Reiterating the state govt's commitment to promoting sports and supporting athletes, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that Uttar Pradesh has become a national leader in offering jobs to medal-winning athletes. Speaking at the concluding ceremony of the two-day state-level senior wrestling championship held at Gorakhnath Temple on Nag Panchami, the CM said over 500 athletes have been recruited into govt services under the state's sports policy. "The state has seen major advancements in sports infrastructure over the past eight years. From village-level playgrounds to mini stadiums at block level and full stadiums at district level, UP has ensured that sports facilities are accessible to all," said CM Yogi. He added that medal winners in national and international competitions are being honoured with both cash awards and jobs. Highlighting the shift in India's sports ecosystem since 2014, the CM credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching the 'Khelo India' initiative and encouraging a culture of fitness and sportsmanship. "In the past 11 years, Indian athletes have excelled globally. UP's players too have made remarkable contributions," he noted. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Quoting a Sanskrit phrase 'Shariram Madhyam Khalu Dharma Sadhanam', the CM stressed the importance of physical fitness as a foundation for all achievements. He urged youth to adopt sports not only for professional growth but for overall well-being. On the occasion, CM Yogi watched the final bouts and presented prizes to the winners. Gautam Buddha Nagar's Jonty Bhati won the UP Kesari title with a cash prize of Rs1.01 lakh and a mace. Saurabh from Gorakhpur Sports Hostel was declared UP Kumar, and Gonda's Monu clinched the Veer Abhimanyu title. Extending greetings on Nag Panchami, CM Yogi called the festival a symbol of spiritual strength and harmony with nature. He said the wrestling event blends tradition with athleticism and serves as a platform for showcasing physical and spiritual vitality.
