BENGALURU: The protest by Kannada activists against Hindi imposition is now a subject of inspiration to Maharashtra and West Bengal. On Monday, at the two-day seminar on language equality and rights organised by CLEAR and Banavasi Balaga in National Law School of India University (NLSIU) where linguistic experts across India are participating to share their views, many linguistic experts expressed their concern in protecting regional/native languages.
Assistant Professor of India Statistical Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal, Dr Garga Chatterjee, while speaking on “The language police in India and its consequences”, said Metro and local trains in Kolkata and Mumbai carry information only in Hindi and English but not in Bengali or Marathi respectively.
“The recent protest by pro-Kannada organisations against Hindi imposition — which led to the usage of Kannada language in Metro activities — is a landmark and a watershed. Now, questions are being raised both in Maharastra and West Bengal to include native language in their activities. The question is not about ‘why Hindi?’ It is about ‘why not my native language?’. People in my state and other places are now questioning this imposition and asking why they do not have information in their native language,” he said on the first day of the event.
Former Rajya Sabha member Baishnab Parida said the consequences of the imposition will lead to the destruction of one’s identity, culture, speech, and expression. He further said, “Those countries that have
encouraged multi-languages have been growing economically well. “