Hindi imposition 2.0? NEP brings TN language warriors back to forefront

A statue greets visitors to the prestigious Annamalai University in Chidambaram, 240 km from Chennai. Not many today may know that the figure at the entrance is of student martyr Rajendran and has immortalised the language protests in Tamil Nadu from the 1960s.

But as the anti-Hindi-imposition sentiment gets stirred up in the state again, thanks to the row over the National Education Policy (NEP), Rajendran’s sacrifice is suddenly back in public memory as are the language warriors from more than half a century back.

A day in 1965

To 81-year-old Mu Thirumavalavan — who was also a student protestor at Annamalai University and among the thousands who faced police brutality on the campus during the anti-Hindi agitation — that day in 1965 when Rajendran fell to a police bullet still seems like yesterday.

“The university had around 2,000–3,000 students, with 1,500–2,000 actively participating in protests. On the morning of the protest, students gathered in large numbers near the administration building and library. The protest slogan — “Udal Mannuku Uyir Thamizhuku” — meaning “The body to the soil, my life to Tamil”, echoed throughout the campus. The police blocked students from advancing from the campus to the town,” he recalled.

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However, some students, enraged by the repression, pelted the police with stones, triggering a violent crackdown, he said. “Eventually, the confrontation escalated further, leading to police firing, in which Rajendran was shot dead near a large tree,” he narrated to The Federal.

According to Thirumavalavan, Rajendran’s sacrifice still remains significant, as the state now has to fight against NEP imposition. “Rajendran’s statue at the entrance of the university reminds students today and will keep reminding them in the future why we have to oppose [Hindi] imposition,” Thirumavalavan told The Federal.

Has Pradhan’s statement backfired?

When Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan declared a fortnight ago that funds would not be released to Tamil Nadu unless the state implemented the NEP 2025, little he may have realized that his comment would stir up the anti-Hindi sentiment in the Dravidian land all over again.

In Tamil Nadu especially, where close to 60 people killed themselves in the 1960s to protest against Hindi imposition and save the Tamil language, several students and political organizations are up in arms against NEP and its requirement of a three-language policy. Tamil Nadu has followed a two-language policy since 1968 and remains the only state where the three-language policy was never implemented.

Now, many Tamil teachers and activists who participated in anti-Hindi agitations in the 1960s are contributing their share of funds to the state government to meet the bill of Rs 2,400 crore, which has been denied by the Union government.

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Is a repeat of 1965 possible?

What Pradhan and the Centre may not have taken into account is that the impact of the anti-Hindi agitation in the 1960s remains strong in the state, say the former student protestors, their family members, and Tamil activists. They even believe that the imposition of NEP in Tamil Nadu might recreate a 1965-like situation.

One of them is Dravida Selvi (64), daughter of Chinnasamy, a native of Kizhapaluvur village in Ariyalur district, 300 km from Chennai. On January 25, 1964, Chinnasamy immolated himself in Trichy to protest against the imposition of the Hindi language in his state. Dravida Selvi, who was only about three then, says she spent her entire childhood longing for her father’s love.

“When I realized my father sacrificed his life for a great cause—to save our mother tongue—I was proud. I studied in a Tamil-medium school, and my sons, too, studied in Tamil-medium schools. My grandchildren studied in English-medium schools but always chose Tamil as their language subject, not Hindi or any other language. They have the same passion for our mother tongue,” she told The Federal.

“My grandchildren write poems in Tamil for my birthday. My father’s sacrifice is remembered even after 50 years because there is no need for a three-language policy in Tamil Nadu. My family will always be at the forefront in the fight against language imposition,” she asserted.

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Two-language formula, forever

In a somewhat telling development, the Tamil Nadu government, recognizing Chinnasamy’s sacrifice after half a century later, announced very recently that a memorial hall would be constructed at Kizhapaluvur.

Chinnasamy’s wife Kamalam, now 80, said her husband’s immolation sparked a wave of sacrifice for the Tamil language in the 1960s; indeed, following him, close to 60 people had killed themselves for the cause of saving Tamil. Kamalam firmly believes his sacrifice remains relevant even today.

Thirumavalavan echoed this view. “The two-language formula will remain relevant for Tamil Nadu forever,” he asserted.

“I studied for an English literature degree and worked as a professor, but I am passionate about my mother tongue. The Tamil language helped me improve my knowledge, while English helped me survive. Two of my sons studied Tamil, English, and French. My elder son—an IT professional—settled in the US only because he studied English,” he pointed out.

‘NEP imposition similar to Hindi imposition’

Sudha Ramalingam, a renowned women’s rights activist and advocate at the Madras High Court, asserted that the opposition was always against the “imposition”, not the Hindi language per se. “A language should be learned with love, not through imposition,” she remarked.

Sudha was among the scores of students who had studied Hindi for two months when it was introduced in Tamil Nadu schools in 1966.

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“I was in class nine. We were taught Hindi alphabets for two months. We saw several wall posters with slogans like ‘Long live Tamil, down with Hindi.’ Over time, all of us students were convinced about the imposition. We too shouted slogans, but we realized later in life that we opposed the imposition, not the language,” she said.

Now, the NEP imposition is similar to the Hindi imposition in the 1960s, Sudha believes.

‘Imposition’ is needless

Sudha has travelled to many states in India for professional reasons and has encountered situations where she had to communicate with legal professionals as well as common people.

“I have communicated with them in English and sometimes used my basic Hindi skills. However, I have never felt that I was treated with less respect just because I didn’t know Hindi. I have never been denied any opportunities for being a non-Hindi speaker. Not knowing Hindi has never been a problem for me. However, English came in handy in many situations,” she told The Federal.

Sudha said her daughter and granddaughter, too, learnt Tamil and English as language subjects and feel quite comfortable with their lives. Most importantly, she pointed out that in the age of artificial intelligence, language is no longer a barrier for communication across the globe. Therefore, the “imposition” of any language is simply needless.