Barring only one occasion, there has never been any anti-Hindi murmur in Andhra and Telangana; Part 5 of The Great Language Divide explores why that is so
The anti-Hindi storm in Tamil Nadu has failed to cause even a ripple in the neighbouring Telugu states, despite their close cultural association with Tamil-speaking people.
Barring only one occasion, there was never an anti-Hindi murmur in the undivided Andhra Pradesh; the imposition of Hindi was neither a subject of debate among the political parties nor Telugu media. All political parties simply ignored the Tamil antagonism towards Hindi as their own problem.
Even after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, Telugus in neither Andhra Pradesh nor Telangana have felt that the so-called imposition of Hindi would endanger the Telugu language. And the governments in both states have happily implemented the Telugu-Hindi-English three-language formula.
400-year shift
So, what’s the reason for the lack of any anti-Hindi sentiment in the Telugu states despite it being so strong in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu? The answer lies in their differing political and cultural evolution.
A 400-year-long Muslim rule in the Telangana region, where Deccani Urdu (Dakhni) and Persian were the official languages, gave birth to a multilingual state that prevented the evolution of any language nationalism, unlike Tamil Nadu. In fact, the sonorous dialect that Telugu people in the region feel proud of is laden with Urdu words.
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When language took a back seat
Besides, the Telugu language nationalism that triggered the Andhra State movement between 1911 and 1953, led mostly by Brahmin scholars, got extinguished after the state’s creation in 1953.
Half a century later, perturbed by Andhra’s domination, the political leaders of what is now Telangana fought for a separate state; they were least bothered about preserving the unity of Telugu people.
Therefore, the demand for a separate Telangana state based on regional injustice dealt a further blow to the so-called “Telugu nationalism” that was conveniently deployed to bring Telugu-speaking states, Andhra and Hyderabad, together to form Andhra Pradesh in 1956.
Enter caste politics
The birth of the Andhra state in 1953 itself heralded a great power shift, with the Brahmins losing leadership to the Congress’s Reddys, whose grip over politics gave rise to caste politics, making language nationalism irrelevant in the state.
Only once, in January 1965, an anti-Hindi agitation shook parts of Andhra Pradesh, when Hindi was proposed to become the sole official language of India as per the Official Language Act of 1963. Students revolted against the move.
The state was rocked by protest processions, train stoppages, forced closures of theatres showing Hindi films. The rampages through the streets led to police firings in a couple of places. The agitation died down, never to return.
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Promise of jobs
The students were pacified with the promise of jobs of Hindi Pandits in thousands if they learned the language through Dakshina Bharata Hindi Prachara Sabha. The Sabha spread its activities to every high school in the state, offering various Hindi exams and making them eligible to become Hindi teachers in schools.
However, students found it a difficult task to learn the language and failed in the Hindi subject in high schools. The government then lowered the minimum pass marks to 20 from 35 out of 100. However, teachers complain to date that students still find it hard to pass the Hindi exam in SSC.
A non-issue
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which took birth in 1982, exploited Telugu pride to come to power but jettisoned the plank soon enough. The rise of TDP reduced state politics to the Reddys-versus-Kammas power struggle, which made language nationalism a non-issue.
The irrelevance of the Telugu language sentiment reached its peak when YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, as the chief minister, eliminated Telugu as the medium of instruction in schools. Post-bifurcation, the TDP and YSR Congress governments have become allies of the BJP-led NDA governments at the Centre and chosen to ignore the “Hindi imposition” issue.
Against this backdrop, many scholars have pronounced that, at present, an anti-Hindi movement is unthinkable in Telugu states.
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Trajectory of Telugu politics
Dr Karli Srinivaslu cites the trajectory of Telugu politics for the absence of language nationalism in Andhra Pradesh.
“After the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956, language ceased to be an issue. The successive Congress governments were never serious about the language issue and sought to implement the three-language formula. Though NT Ramarao founded the TDP on the premise of Telugu pride, it soon took the shape of an anti-Centre rhetoric, leading to the disappearance of Telugu pride,” Srinivasulu, a former professor of Political Science at Osmania University, Hyderabad, said.
Bhangya Bhukya, Professor of History, Hyderabad Central University, sees the OBC angle in the whole issue. Talking to The Federal, Prof. Bhukya said, “Tamil Nadu’s language issue had its roots in the rise of the social justice movement in politics and literature, which armed the OBCs with a Tamil Identity.”
OBC identity
According to Prof. Bhukya, the Tamil language issue is synonymous with OBC identity.
“Here in Telugu states, politics and culture are controlled by Reddy and Kamma castes. In Andhra, Reddys and Kammas compromised with the Centre’s language policies for political reasons. As for Telangana, the consolidation of Telugu language nationalism and generation of anti-Hindi sentiment have not happened because of the unique multilingual tradition of the region.”
Stating that Marathi and Kannada are still spoken in many areas in the state, he said an anti-Hindi movement is unlikely to happen in Telangana.
No love for mother tongue?
Andhra Congress veteran Dr N Tulasi Reddy also said the generation of an Anti-Hindi sentiment was not possible in Andhra Pradesh. In his view, Tamil Nadu’s anti-Hindi movement is an outcome of the Tamil people’s love for their mother tongue, which is absent among Telugus.
He recalled how Telugu people watched silently when the Jagan Reddy government disbanded the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in schools in 2021.
“When you don’t react to the removal of Telugu from schools, how can you react to the imposition of Hindi by the Centre?” Dr Reddy remarked.
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Nizam effect
Similarly, BS Ramulu, noted writer and first chairman of Telangana’s Backward Classes Commission, ruled out an anti-Hindi agitation along the lines of one seen in Tamil Nadu for the simple reason that Hindi is not a problem in Telangana.
“Urdu, Hindustani, and Hindi were spoken widely during the Nizam era. Telangana state has inherited the same culture. The Dakshina Bharata Hindi Prachara Sabha was active in the state, and it was responsible for thousands of jobs as Hindi teachers. So, Telangana people are not unduly worried about the imposition of Hindi,” Ramulu told The Federal.
Hindi a burden on Telugu children?
On the other hand, Professor Kancha Ilaiah, author of Why I am not a Hindu and a Bahujan ideologue, has given a call to oppose Hindi imposition and urged people to extend support to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
He said Stalin was 100 per cent correct in opposing Hindi and there was a need to rally behind the Tamil Nadu chief minister.
“Learning Hindi is a burden on the children, especially those belonging to SC, ST and OBC communities. You cannot achieve anything by learning the North Indian language. The effort can be directed towards learning other skills,” Prof. Ilaiah stated.
What Congress did
Talking about the absence of an anti-Hindi agitation in Telugu states, he said Congress stalwarts such as Pattabhi Sitaramayya, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao, and PV Narasimha Rao had compromised on the language issue.
Stating that Congress governments in the state loyally implemented the three-language formula enforced by their government at the Centre, he said parties led by Reddys and Kammas tend to ignore the threat from Hindi as they fight for other political interests.
“The three-language formula is outdated. We need to fight along with Tamil Nadu to oppose the onslaught of Hindi in South India,” Ilaiah said.
