Vetri-Vel

No national language in India: Gujarat High Court

2010-01-25T12:29:00.005-06:00

AHMEDABAD: Does India have a national language? No, says the Gujarat High Court.

With this observation, a bench headed by Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya refused to issue directions that packaged commodities must contain details about goods in Hindi.

Petitioner Suresh Kachhadia had, in 2009, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Gujarat HC seeking mandamus to the Centre as well as the state government to make it mandatory for manufacturers of goods to print in Hindi, all details of goods like price, ingredients and the date of manufacture. His contention was that the consumers are entitled to know what they are consuming.

It was argued that because Hindi is the national language and is understood by a large number of people in the country, directions should be given to publish all such details in Hindi. His counsel placed reliance on the deliberations in the Constituent Assembly in his arguments. Even the Centre's counsel referred to the Standard of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules and told the court that such declaration on packets should be either in English or in Hindi in Devanagari script.

But the court asked whether there was any notification saying Hindi is India's national language, for it's an ``official language'' of this country. No notification ever issued by the government could be produced before the court in this regard. This is because the Constitution has given Hindi the status of the official language and not the national language.

The court concluded that the rules have specific provisions for manufacturers that particulars of declaration should be in Hindi in Devanagari script or in English, and it's their prerogative to use English. Therefore, no mandamus can be issued on manufacturers or governments for giving details or particulars of package in Hindi.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5496231.cms

Imposition in High Courts !!!

2007-11-29T11:03:00.000-06:00

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200711281541.htm

Agitated members from Tamil Nadu on Wednesday protested against a recommendation to make Hindi the official language along with English in High Courts and the Supreme Court, but Government sought to assuage their feelings saying no such decision has been taken.The plea of Tamil Nadu members was opposed by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta who said his party disassociated itself from the move. BJP deputy leader V K Malhotra and Prabhu Nath Singh of the JD-U wanted Hindi in courts.

As already stated in this blog, the constitution provides the state government with the right to determine which language should be used in the high courts. The central government, while preventing Tamil from becoming the high court language in TN is also trying to impose an alien language in TN High courts.

Protest against delay in appointment of Tamil Translator

2007-11-29T11:00:00.000-06:00

NEW DELHI: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK) members in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday adopted a unique method to protest the delay in the appointment of a Tamil translator in the House when one of its members insisted on speaking in Tamil during a debate.Taking part in the discussion on the Boilers Amendment Act, 1994, AIADMK member K. Malaisamy said he would speak only in Tamil to protest the delay in the recruitment. Despite requests, the Rajya Sabha secretariat has not appointed one for the past 11 months, he charged.AIADMK members also objected over the appointment procedure being adopted by sending the case to the General Purpose Committee for part-time appointment. “Why is the case being referred again and again for part-time appointment? Why cannot we have a permanent Tamil translator?” Dr. Malaisamy asked.As Dr. Malaisamy began speaking in Tamil, confusion prevailed in the House as members as well as the Rajya Sabha secretariat staff noting down the proceedings were unable to understand what he was saying. Santosh Bagrodia, who was in the Chair, intervened requesting him to speak in English.Mr. Bagrodia said the secretariat issues cannot be raised in the House. He also pointed out that Dr. Malaisamy cannot speak in Tamil as he had not given any notice in advance.At this all the AIADMK members and some others started protesting, alleging that regional languages were being ignored. AIADMK members even threatened to storm the well of the House. However, the matter was later resolved amicably when after repeated requests from the Chair and other members, Dr. Malaisamy agreed to speak in English.
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/28/stories/2007112855201400.htm

NO national language - Government Sources

2007-11-28T09:41:00.000-06:00

http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_symbols.php

This particular collection of "National Symbols" does NOT consist of "National Language".

http://rajbhasha.nic.in/
This is the "Official Languages website". IF India had a National Language, this would have been "http://rashtrabhasha.nic.in/

'coz, rajbhasha == Official Language
rashtrabhasha == National Language.

Since, India does NOT have any National language, the website's name is "rajbhasha" and not "rashtrabhasha".

Illegal imposition of Hindi !!!

2007-06-05T10:33:00.000-06:00

http://rajbhasha.nic.in/dolruleseng.htm

Official languages rule, 1976 !
(ii) They shall extend to the whole of India, except the State of Tamilnadu.

How the rule is broken:

http://coal.nic.in/ann0304chap16.pdf http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN012136.pdf http://mohfw.nic.in/kk/95/id/95id0101.htm http://envfor.nic.in/report/0203/chap-12.htm#12-9

The percentage of work being done in Hindi during the period in the Ministry was:
61% in Region ‘A’
46% in Region ‘B’
34% in Region ‘C’.

Region c denotes states like TN where hindi is not so popular. Communications in a central govt institute within these regions are "stipulated to be in hindi". In this case out of every 100 documents/letter, 34 has to be in hindi.

Some innovative imposition schemes by the central govt.http://chemicals.nic.in/annrep03-04.pdf
Section 7 of this document talks about hindi propagation - use about 20,000 words in hindi and win cash prize !

http://steel.nic.in/Annual%20Report%20(2002-03)/Chapter%20XV.pdf
http://www.geocities.com/tamiltribune/02/0501.html

Sections of the Ministries/Departments where entire work to be done in Hindi - Minimum 7 Sections.
Originating Correspondence in Hindi (including Telegrams, Wireless, Telex, Fax, Drawings etc.)From C to C 55%From Region C to Offices/ individuals in States/UTs of A & B region 85%

More:
http://rajbhasha.nic.in/annualeng.htm

FOR C-region:Originating Correspondence in Hindi (including Telegrams, Wireless, Telex, Fax, Drawings , E-mails etc. ) From C to A 55%From C to B 55%From C to C 55%Sections of the Ministries/Departments where entire work to be done in Hindi - Minimum 08 Sections.

The above is for C-regions that includes places like TN, WB. This also includes communication within a state in the c-region, like from Madras to Trichy. Now, why should they (non-hindi regions) communicate within their own regions in an alien language ?

(D) Hindi Typist / Stenographer - Minimum one in each office. Indirect means of job creation for the hindi ppl.

(E) Arrangement of Interpreters - Arrangements of interpreters from local language in Hindi & vice-versa should be made in every Mission/ Embassey.

Crap - why would someone wanna have an interpreters for local language (say, chinese to hindi ???) in Indian consulate in China ?

Economic Discrimination

2007-05-11T15:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/12/23/stories/2004122304681200.htm

The AIADMK member, S. Gokula Indira, today raised in the Rajya Sabha the ``plight'' of non-Hindi speaking candidates appearing for Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations.
Speaking during Special Mentions, Ms. Indira said the new system, introduced in 1999, required candidates to answer descriptive questions either in English or Hindi. ``Because of this medium bias, 95 per cent of the candidates who secure appointments hail from Hindi-speaking States,'' she said, adding that more candidates from non-Hindi speaking areas would qualify if they were given the choice of writing their examinations in their mother tongue.

The above article is just a simple example of how the non hindi speaking people are being deprived of opportunities for jobs.

மனு

2007-04-24T11:46:00.000-06:00

http://tsivaram.blogspot.com/2007/04/blog-post_24.html

சிவா, லொடுக்கு, வ‌ல்லி, கொத்த‌னார், அறியாத‌வ‌ன், ஜி, கீதா, பொன்ஸ், க‌விதா, இம்சை அர‌சி, க‌திர், vsk, ச‌ந்தோஷ், மை ப்ர‌ண்ட், சியாம், அருண், உங்க‌ள் கேள்வி/க‌ம‌ண்ட்ஸ்க்கு ம‌னுவை எழுதிய‌வ‌ன் என்ற‌ முறையில் என்னோட‌ ப‌தில்:

ஐ.நா மொழிகள் பற்றிய உங்கள் கருத்து உண்மையே. ஐ.நா‍ வின் ஆட்சி மொழியாக இந்தி பயண்ப்படுத்தப்படுவது குறைவாகவே இருக்கும்.
ஆனால், இது ஆட்சி மொழி என்ற நிலையை மட்டும் எதிர்த்து கொண்டுவரப்பட்ட மனு அல்ல என்பதை தெரிவித்துக் கொள்கிறேன்.
http://vetri-vel.blogspot.com/2006/12/india-does-not-have-national-language.

இந்தியாவில் முத‌லில் த‌மிழ் ம‌ற்றும் பிற‌ மொழிக‌ளுக்கும், இந்திக்கு அளிக்க‌ப்படும் அதே அளவு $$$ அளிக்க‌ப்பட‌ வேண்டும் என்ப‌து என் க‌ருத்து.

ச‌ரி, அப்போ அதை எதிர்த்து ம‌னுப் போட‌ வேண்டிய‌து தானே, ஏன் ஐ.நா மொழியாக‌ இந்தி உய‌ர்வ‌தை எதிர்த்து ம‌னு என்ற‌ கேள்வி வ‌ரும்.

1) ஐ.நா வின் ஆட்சி மொழியாக‌ இந்தி மாறினால், இந்தியா என்றால் இந்தி, இந்தி என்றால் இந்தியா என்ற நிலமை உலகத்தில் உருவாகும்.

2)இப்போதே, தமிழுக்கு இந்தியாவில் என்ன‌ நில‌மை என்று இதில் விள‌க்கியுள்ளேன்.
http://vetri-vel.blogspot.com/2006/12/tamil-vs-sanskrit-discrimination-aட்.html http://vetri-vel.blogspot.com/2007/03/tamil-tn-high-court-language.html

3) 1965 ல், இந்தியா முழுவ‌தும், ஆங்கில‌த்தை அக‌ற்றி விட்டு இந்தியை கொண்டு வர வேண்டும் என்று கூறிய‌வ‌ர்க‌ள், இந்தி ஐ.நா வின் ஆட்சி மொழி என்ற‌ நிலை வ‌ந்த‌ப்பின், இந்தியா முழுவ‌தும் இந்தி அவ‌சிய‌மாக‌ க‌ற்ப்பிக்க‌ வேண்டும் என்று கூறுவார்க‌ள்.http://vetri-vel.blogspot.com/2006/12/articles-on-1965-hindi-imposition.html

4) உல‌க‌ நாடுக‌ளில் ந‌டக்க‌ கூடிய‌ மொழி மற்றும் மொழி சார்ந்த‌ நிக‌ழ்ச்சிக‌ளில், இந்திக்கு ம‌ட்டுமே முக்கிய‌த்துவ‌ம் இருக்கும். அத‌ற்க்கு கிடைக்க‌ கூடிய‌ $$$, உல‌க‌ அர‌ங்கில பெய‌ர் பிற‌ மொழிக‌ளுக்கு கிடைக்காது. சரி, கிடைத்தால் என்ன என்று என்னுபவர்கள், இதனை மனதில் கொள்ள வேண்டும்:

ஐ.நா என்ப‌து, "நாடுக‌ளின் கூட்ட‌மைப்பு". இதில், இந்திய அர‌சு சொல்லும் மொழிதான் ஆட்சி மொழியாக‌ வாய்ப்பு உண்டு. த‌மிழக‌ அர‌சு சொல்லும் மொழி ஆட்சி மொழி ஆக வாய்ப்பே இல்லை. த‌மிழ‌க‌ அரசு தமிழுக்காக குறள்க் கொடுத்தாலும், மத்திய அரசு அதை ஆதரிக்காது. அப்படி ஆதரித்தால் பிற மொழிகளும் தமிழுக்கு இனையான நிலயை கேட்கும் என்று காரணம் சொல்லும். மத்திய அரசு தமிழ் மொழியை ஆதரிக்காதப் போது, ஐ.நா வில், தமிழ் மொழி இடம் பெற வாய்ப்பே இல்லை. போட்டியில் தோற்றால் பிரச்சனை இல்லை, ஆனால் போட்டியில் பங்கு பெறவே இந்திய அரசு தடையாக இருக்கும் போது, எப்படி அது நியாயமான போட்டி ஆகும் ???

எப்படி, இந்திக்கு இவ்வளவு மவுசு இந்தியாவில் ?இத‌ற்க்கும் கார‌ண‌ம் உண்டு.இதைப் படிக்கவும்:http://vetri-vel.blogspot.com/2007_02_04_archive.html

Even in 1965, when the literacy rate was a paltry 24 % and when we were importing 2 shiploads of wheat/day to barely survive the govt spent 2.1 Million US dollars for hindi propagation. This was the time when shashtri gave the famous call for fellow Indians to skip one meal a day since we were short on food supplies - this is the best possible example of "forceful imposition / usurping common resources for the benefit of a single language"
To spread Hindi, the government is spending $2,100,000 this year. - this is in 1965 !!!http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839158,00.html

இந்த‌ மாதிரி, ஒரு மொழிக்கு ம‌ட்டும் செல‌வு செய்வ‌தனால் தான் இந்த‌ நிலை. இது மாற‌ வேண்டும், பிற‌ மொழிக‌ளுக்கும் ம‌த்திய‌ அர‌சு $$$ செல‌வு செய்ய‌ வேண்டும் என்ப‌து என் க‌ருத்து.

நான், இந்த‌ மனுவை எழுதும் போது, மேலே கூறியவற்றை ம‌னதில் வைத்து கொண்டு எழுதினேன்.மொழி பிரச்சனை பற்றி மேலும் படிக்க இந்த பதிவு: http://vetri-vel.blogspot.com/

இந்தியாவில் முத‌லில் த‌மிழுக்கு ந‌ல்ல‌ நிலைக் கிடைக்க‌ வேண்டும் என்ப‌து என் க‌ருத்து. இப்போது, இந்தி ஐ.நா ஆட்சி மொழியாக‌ வ‌ருவ‌தை எதிர்ப்ப‌த‌ன் மூல‌ம், த‌மிழ்/த‌மிழர்க‌ளுக்கு உல‌க‌ள்வில்/இந்தியாவில் ஒரு குற‌ள்க் கிடைக்கும் என்பதும் என் ந‌ம்பிக்கை.

நான் ஏதாவ‌து கேள்விக்கு ப‌தில் அளிக்க‌வில்லை என்றால், திரும்ப‌ கேட்க‌வும். விறைவில் அத‌ற்கும் ப‌தில் அளிப்பேன்.

ந‌ன்றி.

Tamil - TN High Court Language

2007-03-24T17:08:00.000-06:00

Article 348, Constitution of India:

(2) Notwithstanding anything in sub-clause (a) of clause (1), the Governor _304*** of a State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorise the use of the Hindi language, or any other language used for any official purposes of the State, in proceedings in the High Court having its principal seat in that State:Provided that nothing in this clause shall apply to any judgment, decree or order passed or made by such High Court. Source:http://astsun.astro.virginia.edu/~sk4zw/india-const/p17348.html

1) As seen in the above link from the constitution of India, it is legal to introduce an "Official Language" of a state(Tamil in TN) as a "High Court Language" of that state.

2) Tamil would be used along with English - the intention is NOT to replace English.

3) If the Judge is NOT comfortable with Tamil, he can choose English.

4) States like Bihar, Rajasthan, UP, MP use one of their "Official Language" - Hindi as an "High Court Language" along with English.

5) In TN, 87 % of the population has Tamil as Mother Tongue. Of the remaining 13 % a significant number would be fluent in Tamil. This move would enable the "Tamil-literate/English Illiterate population to follow the proceedings of the High Court.

More Info:
Karunanidhi stands firm on Tamil in High Court:
http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/12/stories/2007031205180100.htm

Unravelling the Myths - VI

2007-03-06T20:11:00.000-06:00

9) Southies need to be thankful that the northies are NOT forcing hindi.

First, Southies are NOT immigrants in India - their ancestors have ruled the land that can be to some extent associated with present day linguistic states. For example, TN associated with places where the Tamil kingdoms, Chola, Chera, Pandyan, Pallavas ruled.

Second, southies, if they move up north, they have picked up the language of that region and they expect the same from the northies when they move down south.

Third, India is NOT like France or Germany or Britain - its more like the European Union. - that is also why it is called the Indian union. What you are saying is like asking the French to speak English in France for the sake of numbers of english.

Fourth, northies do tend to "force" their language or hindi on southies and also on fellow northies wherever they go or some are like you - trying to act as if they are doing a favour by NOT forcing their language on others - which aint a favour by any means.

Fifth, even now, the govt spends around 100 crores a year for hindi evangelization and the rest of the languages combined together get less than 10 crores for their development - which is lopsided and biased to say the least.

Even in 1965, when the literacy rate was a paltry 24 % and when we were importing 2 shiploads of wheat/day to barely survive the govt spent 2.1 Million US dollars for hindi propagation. This was the time when shashtri gave the famous call for fellow Indians to skip one meal a day since we were short on food supplies - this is the best possible example of "forceful imposition / usurping common resources for the benefit of a single language"

To spread Hindi, the government is spending $2,100,000 this year. - this is in 1965 !!!
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839158,00.htm

Future !

2007-02-09T20:02:00.000-06:00

Most tend to see this as “allowing a language”.

This is NOT as simple as it seems !!!

1) Suppose if we do NOT question the “unbalanced/biased” allocation of funds favoring one language, then hindi will develop its technical and other vocabulary to meet the future demands BUT our language will be stagnant.

2) As we all know, anyone/language that fails to evolve would eventually DIE.

3) One of the reasons , English is dominating is because of its ability to absorb other words and evolve.

4) The central govt spends 100 crores/ year to bring this technical evolution and development to Hindi BUT it NEGLECTS other languages.

Which means, over a few decades, our language will LAG behind hindi in terms of Technical background and any language which lacks this would eventually wither away and Tamil would face such a situation unless there is some serious funding to develop its “vocabulary/language” with the evolving Techie world.

Fortunately, there are many Tamils who do this, One of the major irony is that the Sri Lankan Tamils dominate in bringing Tamil to the web and internet BUT we eventhough majority in number fail to promote Tamil.

The very anti-Tamil riots in SL that chased them away to other countries enables them to be in touch with technology and also develop Tamil while we from TN contribute comparatively lesser even when we have the luxury of a "stable/war-free life" !!!

Tamil Women in Tamil society, Early 1900s - Part 3

2007-01-31T19:10:00.000-06:00

Neelambikai Ammaiyar and Her Works:

This is the third part giving a brief introduction to the role of women during the colonial times, specifically the early 1900s in the Tamil society. This part specifically deals with the works of Neelambikai Ammaiyar whose works survived the various direct and indirect attempts to suppress the works of women folk which were blatant acts of opposing the entrenched social structure.

Neelambikai Ammaiyar’s writings survived the overt and covert social cleansing. Sarada Nambiarooran, grand niece of Neelambikai chronicled Neelambikai’s writings as “Neelambikai Ammaiyarin Padaipugalil Samuga Chintanaikal”. Her works involved the translation and incorporation of literary works of Thiruvaasagam, Thevaram, writings of Ramalinga Adigal and also Periyar and thus was an amalgam of freedom movement, Tani Thamizh Iyakkam, Religious and Atheist work, a wide spectrum indeed. Her work also extended to English, she compiled a book ‘Six hundred parallel proverbs” in Tamil-English in 1931. Neelambikai’s works were influenced by Subbulaksmi and Panditai Krishnaveni who guided her through her home-schooling years. She was the daughter of Vedachalam Pillai who later changed his name to Maraimalai Adigal. She also contributed to the Tani Thamizh Iyakkam with many of her works like the Tamil/Sanskrit dictionary (Vadatchol-Tamil Agara Varisai) which was an effort to provide Tamil equivalent terms of Sanskrit words. “Thamizhil Vadamizhi Kalakkal Aagadu” was one of her seminal essays.

Neelambikai Ammaiyar’s works were also influenced by Elizabeth Browning and Stowe, specifically by Stowe’s work that was a factual report of the escape of a slave, Dred Scott. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is also subjected to a sympathetic handling in her biography. “Navalanteevin Pazhaiya Kudigal” (The ancient inhabitants of navalan island) is a work questioning the definition of cultural superiority as defined by the attitude to classify the “dasyus” and “meat-eating tribes’ as barbarians in Sanskrit scriptures. “Thamizh Nadum, Thamizhum Munneruvadu Eppadi” (How Tamil Nadu and Tamil can develop) is a book with her ideas for the improvement of the Tamil society in general.

While some of her works appreciated the women who stepped away from the traditional role of women in a patriarchal society and took up challenging roles, she also mothered thirteen children in fifteen years of married life. This personal ambiguity also shows up in her works. Apart from works that promoted and praised women who stepped over the traditional feminine social boundaries, she wrote “Muppennmanigal Varalaru” (Three-women’s history). This work talks about hagiographies of three women, two of whom belong to the Savaite Nayanar Pantheon. Karaikal Ammaiyar and Mangayarkarasiyar were chaste wives who possessed enormous spiritual powers. The third woman was Tilakavatiyar who undertook voluntary widowhood when her betrothed passed away. In the introduction to this book, Neelambikai Ammaiyar emphasizes that women should be given a spiritual outlook in life.

“Penmakkalin Arivum Aanmayum” (Women’s Intellect and Masculinity/Courage”) was one of her important works that questioned the established standards in the society of those days. In her work the word “Aanmai” denoting masculinity (aan is Tamil for Man) was used to represent “courage” common to man and woman instead of just a “manly character”. She used the old Tamil literary work “Tolkappiyam” in which “Aanmai” was used as a common term for courage commonly used for both the sexes as an example to promote “aanmai” among women.

Ironically she believed that widows over the age of twenty should not marry again while promoting re-marriage in the case of child widows. She gave birth to thirteen kids, eleven of whom survived during fifteen years of married life. Neelambikai Ammaiyar died in 1945 at the age of 42 during childbirth.

Neelambikai Ammaiyar’s life can be considered to be a pretty good example of the various women who challenged the patriarchal society during the freedom struggle, Tani Thamizh Iyakkam and other Dravidian Movements. A complex amalgam of interests and culture influenced and directed their ideas. Nevertheless, their contribution was important in mobilizing the women and uprooting entrenched ideas of female subjugation.

Tamil Women in Tamil society, Early 1900s - Part 2

2007-01-31T19:08:00.000-06:00

This is the second part giving a brief introduction to the role of women during the colonial times, specifically the early 1900s in the Tamil society.

Dr. Dharmambal was a qualified doctor in “Siddha medicine system”. Apart from her work, Dr. Dharmambal and Achalambikkai (conferred the title Panditai) carried on conducting classes in Tamil literature. Achalmbikkai also wrote about Tiruvamattur Puranam, a sthalapuranam of a temple located in South Arcot district in “manipravalam” style which is a mixture of Tamil with Sanskrit words. Such “Manipravalam” style texts are also famous in Malayalam. She also wrote “Gandhi puranam” and “Tilakar puranam” thus reflecting her Gandhian ideologies. It is interesting to note that she was a child widow and had not only showed enormous courage in participating in mass movements but also in overcoming social stigma associated with widows in public life.

Another child widow, Subbulakshmi Ammal left her mark by establishing a destitute home for women and a school. Most of her writings suffered the same fate of her fellow women activists. They were mostly destroyed by her relatives who were ashamed of her open views on many aspects of the society.

Ramamirtham Ammaiyar campaigned for the abolition of the Devadasi system and organized “Pottu Arupu Sangam” in opposition to the “Pottu Kattudal” process which is the initiation process of a woman into the Devadasi profession. Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy also helped her in her door to door campaign for the “Devadasi abolition bill”. Ramamirtham Ammaiyar exhibited a zeal for abolition of the Devadasi system which is understandable since she was sold for a saree and ten rupees into the profession by her mother. Ramamirtham Ammaiyar later on married Suyambhu Pillai, a musician and then separated from him.

Kavi Malar Malai (Garland of verse/poetry) written by S. Krishnaveni Ammaiyar is a notable literary work in 1939 talking about the politics and freedom movement. Rajeshwari Ammaiyar’s “Vanakkappal” (Heavenly Ship) was another important literary work in 1945. Y.M. Kodainayaki Ammal, a devout Gandhian wrote about 115 novels during the 30s and 40s.

Ranganayaki Ammal, a devout Gandhian and a prolific writer with deep spiritual beliefs took off her “Thali” and dressed up like a widow when Ramana Maharishi passed away in 1951. This she did even when her husband was alive. Such was for dedication for religious, spiritual quest and she supplemented this with equal fervor for Gandhian ideologies and Tamil and Telugu writings about freedom struggle, plight of women, spiritual quests were burnt by her family and in-laws. This attitude of immediate family members destroying the works of the women activists persisted across the various movements and was used to effectively wipe out the literary and social contributions of many women.

Tamil Women in Tamil society, Early 1900s - Part 1

2007-01-31T18:57:00.001-06:00

The role of women in the Tamil renaissance, Tani Thamizh Iyakkam, Freedom Movement, Dravidian Movement during late 1800s and early 1900s has always been suppressed. Their role has not been given equal importance. Many of the women who participated in these movements had overlapping interests and hence their ideas, writings promoted more than one and sometimes more than two movements at the same time. The intention of this article is to try and introduce a few women and their contribution to the general public.

This is basically a short introduction to the many women and their contribution during pre-independence in the Tamil society. The article was not edited and hence there could be a few mistakes in the formulation of sentences. The whole article has been divided into three parts. The first part is an introduction to the main women participants in the Tani Thamizh Iyakkam, Anti hindi agitations, 1937/38, Dravidian Movement. The second part is a continuation of the first part extending the introduction to a few other women and a brief introduction to their contribution. The third part talks about the works of Neelambikai Ammaiyar whose works survived the suppression of the patriarchal society. For non-Tamils, the word “Ammaiyar” used as a part of the name is more like a respectable way of referring to a woman.

On 14 November, 1938, a motley crowd of housewives, intellectuals, authors and professionals gathered before the Theosophical High School and raised slogans like “Down with English”, “Down with Hindi” along with “Thamizh Vaazhga”. Five women were jailed. Among them were Moovalur Ramamirtham, Malarmugathammai, Pattammal, Dharmambal, Neelambikai Ammaiyar. Many more women courted arrest in 1939 during rallies against English and Hindi.

Tani Thamizh Iyakkam provided women with an avenue to oppose the patriarchal society and also to empower themselves. Women’s participation in the Tani Thamizh Iyakkam and Dravidian movement has its base in various national, ethnic, linguistic and gender concerns and hence there was a variety of stance exhibited by different women and quite a few of them supported more than one specific movement.

Achalambikkai Ammaiyar and Kumudini were opposed to western education and hindi and believed that education should gear the woman to be a better wife, mother, care taker of the family. They were supporters of a patriarchal society. Moovalur Ramamirtham was someone who was against the patriarchal order which made her a “Devadasi”. She like many others came from “Isai Vellalar” caste in which women took up the “Devadasi” profession and men traditionally took up profession as musicians, specifically playing the “Nadaswaram”.

The women from the “Isai Vellalar” caste were not subjected to the same patriarchal rules of child marriage, widowhood; they were more open to ideas of equality acquired through western education which was also denied to the women in the traditional Tamil society. Since most women from this caste were made to take up the devadasi profession, most women who came from this caste openly opposed the devadasi system and were ardent supporters of the Devadasi abolition bill. The Tamil word for prostitute "Thevidiya" comes from "Thevar-adiyaal" which is an exact translation of "Deva-Dasi"

Neelambikai Ammaiyar is the torch bearer for the women’s contribution since her writings have survived the suppression of the patriarchal society. She was conferred the title of “Tani Thamizh Tiruvatti” (Champion of Pure Tamil Movement) in the 1940s. She passed away in 1945. Dr. Dharmambal carried on popularizing the importance of Tamil among women folk and was conferred the title of “Veera Thamizh Annai”(Valiant Thamizh Mother) in 1951.

The title of “Periyar” was conferred on E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker on 13 November, 1938 by Neelambikai Ammaiyar during the Tamil Women’s Conference. Other prominent women present during the conference were Dr. Dharmambal, Moovalu Ramamirtham, K.V. Kamatchi, K.E. Veera Kalyani, Lakshmi Ammal, Paripoornathammal Nagammai (Periyar’s wife), S.R. Kannamma (Periyar’s sister).

Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar participated in the anti hindi agitations in 1938 and later joined the “Suya Mariyadhai Iyakkam” (Self-Respect Movement) but withdrew from it after Periyar refused to give primary importance to the Devadasi bill which would prohibit the Devadasi system. This along with Periyar’s marriage to Maniammai who was around forty years younger to him made many other women like Thamaraikanniyar to move away from Periyar.

Most of the works of these women were destroyed by their close relatives since they believed that such outright violations of established social order would bring bad name to the family. Thus, we are not left with much evidence of works of such women who left their mark by mobilizing the women folk in these movements.

Why English ?

2007-01-09T17:27:00.000-06:00

A question that is often asked is “Why are the Tamils willing to learn English but not Hindi?”

My answer would be “Why not Swahili ?”

Even though the answer is actually a question, the answer to my question is the answer to the earlier question too – “No significant use”.

If the technical journals and other scientific articles and information/knowledge is in Swahili, people will learn it and not English. The same logic can be used for any other language.

What do we get with Hindi?

Quite often learning/speaking Hindi is associated with patriotism. Does it mean learning Tamil or any other Indian language is unpatriotic ? or is it lesser Indian language than Hindi ? Why is there such a skewed logic ?

Hindi helps you to communicate with the majority Indians is another answer. As far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, Tamil is the majority language so its good to know it. If a Tamil, moves out of TN, he should learn the local language of the region and not Hindi. Till then, a mixture of English and a few words can keep him alive in another state. Making Hindi compulsory in TN for the few who travel outside TN is absurd. What is the percentage of Tamils traveling outside TN?

Now that the jobs are predominantly created in the southern states, will the North Indian in general and Hindi person specifically learn a South Indian language – any one ? or in other words, most Hindi speaking person tend to look for Bangalore, would they learn Kannada ? Shouldn’t they learn Kannada?

Respect is a two way street, if you can’t learn my language, why should I learn another language ? Unless and until, I see a benefit in learning another language, I don’t intend to.

Unravelling the Myths - V

2006-12-14T00:55:00.001-06:00

8)One Nation, One Language – National Integration.

This is another one of the major myths that is brought into the picture quite often.

The point put forth is this:

US, UK, France have one language and hence have developed.

Counterpoints:

Switzerland has Four National Languages – Romansh, Italian, French, and German and it is well-developed.

There are quite a few countries even in India’s neighborhood that show the negatives of imposing a language on a huge chunk of population.

Pakistan-B’desh:

After a lot of controversy over the language issue, the final demand from East Pakistan was that Bangla must be the official language and the medium of instruction in East Pakistan and for the central government it would be one of the state languages along with Urdu. The first movement on this issue was mobilised by Tamaddun Majlish headed by Professor Abul Kashem. Gradually many other non-communal and progressive organisations joined the movement, which finally turned into a mass movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bangladesh#The_Language_Movement

Sri Lanka:

One of the main reasons for the civil war in Sri Lanka is the Sinhala only act 1956 which gives importance to Sinhala at the expense of Tamil.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2304/stories/20060310001305500.htm

http://www.languageinindia.com/jan2002/srilanka1.html

As seen in both the cases, imposition of one language causes trouble and not “integration”.

Articles on 1965 Hindi Imposition

2006-12-14T00:14:00.000-06:00

Bureaucracy by Doublespeak:

To spread Hindi, the government is spending $2,100,000 this year.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839158,00.html

The above link talks about Hindi imposition in 1965. As you can see, India was spending 2.1 Million USD for Hindi evangelization. This was in the year 1965, when India had a literacy rate of about 24 %. We were importing 2 ship loads of wheat a day to barely survive and Shahstri gave his famous call for Indians to skip one meal a day. The times were so bad but we still managed to find funds for Hindi.

Hindi Imposition:

In the southern Indian town of Tiruchi last week, a 20-year-old hotel waiter scribbled hasty notes to family and friends, then committed suicide by gulping a bottle of insecticide. He was the third suicide in the area in a week.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839222,00.html

A total of 5 individuals burnt themselves to death and 2 drank pesticide as protest against Hindi imposition. According to government records around 66 people died. The government records were burnt by the officials after Bhaktavatchalam, the then CM of TN ordered it. Ostensibly, to protect the officials from retaliations.

Retreat to English:

Last week 106 Congress Party M.P.s from North India petitioned the government—in English—to uphold Hindi as the only official language. Fanatics of the pro-Hindi Jan Sangh Party prowled the streets of Delhi, blotting out English signs with coal tar.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839301,00.html

Force of Words:

At a Cabinet meeting, non-Hindi ministers backed the demand of Food Minister Chidambaram Subramaniam that English also be given statutory recognition as an official language. When they were voted down, Subramaniam and another minister resigned, shaking confidence in Shastri's leadership.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940936,00.html

Subramaniam and O.V. Alagesan resigned from their ministerial positions.

Subramaniam (Agricultural Minister) along with Dr. Swaminathan (Indian Agricultural Research Insitute) and Sivaraman (Union Secretary of Agriculture) were responsible for the Green Revolution.

According to Borlaug, there was also an active role in this played by Siva Raman, then Union Secretary of Agriculture. "I used to call them 3 Ss Subramaniam, Swaminathan and Sivaraman," Borlaug said.

http://ia.rediff.com/news/2006/aug/24borlaug.htm?q=np&file=.htm

Hindi Against India:

You can speak Tamil or English and yet be a good Indian, argued Anna. No, answered New Delhi, the only good patriots are those who speak (and write) Hindi. Shastri and his Government stood by the decision to make Hindi official on 26 January. And, in consequence, all hell broke loose.

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2005/01/16/stories/2005011600260300.htm

Hindi Chauvinism:

But from time to time, the chauvinists of Hindi try to press their case. In his previous term as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav wrote a letter in his language to the Chief Minister of Kerala, E.K. Nayanar. Mr. Nayanar replied in his language. It was a brilliant riposte: for while Hindi was not widely spoken in Thiruvanthapuram, in Lucknow, Malayalam was not known at all.

http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2004/01/18/stories/2004011800040300.htm

3-Language Policy - Part I

2006-12-13T23:37:00.000-06:00

3-Language System:

The three language system was introduced by the central government in the 1960s to pacify the revolting southerners. The National Policy on Education, 1968 talks about the Three Language Policy.

The main idea was:

Non-hindi state should learn:

Regional language

English

Hindi

Hindi speaking states should learn:

Hindi

English

A southern Language.

The idea of three language policy is to have:

Even workload:

The north Indians will have 3-languages to learn which is same as that of the south. Earlier, the Hindi speaking states can get away with only Hindi and English but now, they had to teach a southern language as the third language.

This was not followed by the Hindi speaking states and hence, TN which had a strong party in the state refused to entertain any Hindi in TN.

Why then are people from Kerala, Andhra, Karnataka comparatively better off in Hindi ?

Andhra:

The Nawabs who ruled the Hyderabad region had made Urdu compulsory during their reign and hence the people there were exposed to Urdu (Hindi like) since early times. Even now, Urdu is one of the Official Languages of the state.

Karnataka:

In the case of Karnataka, Hindi is still not compulsory but is indirectly imposed by the Congress and Janata Dal who rule the state. Karnataka lacks a strong party from the state.

Kerala:

Kerala was the only state that implemented the 3-language policy even though the Hindi speaking states ignored a southern language.

http://www.languageinindia.com/dec2002/karnatakaeducationpolicy.html

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~jason2/papers/natlang.htm

http://ncert.nic.in/sites/publication/schoolcurriculum/Position_Papers/Indian%20Languages%20.pdf

Unravelling the Myths - IV

2006-12-13T23:18:00.000-06:00

7) It is all because of Karunanidhi

The present day politicians use the language issue but they are not the initiators.

The few individuals who know about the anti-hindi agitation believe that it happened in the 1960s but the first anti hindi agitation happened in 1937-38 – yes, before independence!

The policy guidance issued to Congress Ministers and legislators did not specifically state the need and urgency for the implementation of its language policy through the teaching of Hindustani (Hindi) in schools. However, the Congress Ministry in Madras Presidency chose to implement the language policy outline of the Indian National Congress in 1937/1938 which led to an agitation against Hindi in the province.

The Congress leaders refused to acknowledge that the anti-Hindi agitation in the Tamil region of the Madras Presidency was backed by a majority of the people in the region. Such was the dogmatic position of Mahatma Gandhi that he always referred to the anti-Hindi stance in Tamilnadu as being supported only by some people.

However, Mahatma Gandhi (for whom the pre-eminent status of Hindi-Hindustani as the official/national language, was never a matter for any accommodation or adjustment of any different view point and who could see the position of Hindi-Hindustani mostly in terms of Hindu-Muslim unity backed by the history of pro-Hindi movement within the Hindustani speaking states, for his own political expediency) revealed that he was not against the use of Criminal Law provisions against anti-Hindi agitators when he called implicitly the anti-Hindi agitation as "picketing nuisance" (Harijan, 10 Sept. 1938).

http://www.languageinindia.com/dec2005/languagepolicy1936-1.html

Gandhi viewed everything as Hindu-Muslim and was not able to see the differences in language throughout India which was a major flaw in his thought process.

Two Tamils died in police custody in this first agitation: Thalamuthu and Natarajan.

The decision to withdraw compulsory Hindi education from Madras Presidency was taken on January 21, 1940.

Present Day:

It is not just one individual or a single party that opposes Hindi imposition in TN.

TN chamber of commerce and industry opposes Hindi: Feb 08, 2006

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/02/09/stories/2006020902541900.htm

MDMK opposes Hindi

"The party will not allow any move to impose Hindi on Tamils in any manner."

http://www.hindu.com/2004/10/30/stories/2004103009840400.htm

Jayalalitha against Hindi:

In a demi-official letter, she said, "It is with great pain and anguish that I wish to bring to your notice the recent practice resorted to by the National Highways Authority of India of inscribing place names in Hindi on the kilometre stones on the NH being laid in Tamil Nadu."

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/12/22/stories/2004122210530100.htm

DMK, AIADMK, MDMK

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for 15 minutes today during question hour as a bitter debate triggered off between members from Tamil Nadu and those from the Hindi-speaking belt on whether the milestones on the National Highway should show the distance in Hindi in the non-Hindi-speaking states.

Mr P.H. Pandian (AIADMK), however, supported the issue raised by Dr Krishnam(MDMK) and wanted a reply from the government. Members of the DMK and other members from Tamil Nadu also supported the question.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030306/nation.htm#3

As can be seen in the few examples given, opposition to hindi imposition in any form cuts across all party lines in TN. Even the PMK and DPI oppose hindi imposition. It is not a question a specific politician's quest for power.

Tamil Vs Sanskrit - Discrimination at the center !

2006-12-13T23:11:00.000-06:00

Tamil Vs Sanskrit:

"Tamil's classical language implementation" is put under the Department of Culture.

"Sanskrit's classical language implementation" is under the Department of Human Resources Development.

Many Tamil scholars and political leaders immediately protested it saying that the former does NOT have the necessary resources.

They pointed out that Sanskrit development and propagation is under the Department of Human Resources Development, and wondered why Tamil was not in the same department.

Funds allocated to Tamil during 2005 and 2006 are NOT even one-tenth of those allocated for Sanskrit.

Funds for Sanskrit close to 100 crores

Funds for Tamil close to 3.36 crores

Two legally accepted classical languages BUT one gets around 4 % of what another language gets - WHY ?

Is it based on population?

Presuming that all the different groups except Tamils support Sanskrit - Tamils constitute 6-7% of India - which means we should be getting around 7 Crores (6-7% of 100 crores, approximately)

Is it economical?

South India contributes 20 % of population and approx 40 % of economy - presuming TN also has the double its population contribution to economy - we should be getting around 14 Crores for Tamil.

Is it historical/literature?

This would tilt the balance of funds in favour of Tamil. No matter how much antagonism someone has towards Tamil, they cannot ignore the fact that we have a history/literature that goes back to around 2500 years that needs to be researched and documented for which you need MONEY but it is NOT given.

Link:
http://www.angelfire.com/tn3/tamil/200610.html#two2

Anna Durai and Two dogs theory !

2006-12-13T23:09:00.000-06:00

(Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (1967-1969) C. N. Annadurai was a great orator and writer. He sprinkled his speeches and writings with little stories (fables) to drive home his points. Here is a short story he told to drive home the irrationality of arguments for making Hindi the link language of India.)

A man had two dogs - a big one and a small one. He wanted his dogs to go in and out of the house freely without him having to keep the house door open all the time. So he built two "trap doors" - one big trap door for the big dog and one small for the small dog. Neighbors who saw these two doors laughed at him and called him an idiot. Why put a big door and a small door? All that was needed was the big door. Both the big and the small dog could use it!

Indian government's arguments for making Hindi the official or link language of India are as ridiculous as the need for a big door and a small door for the big dog and the small dog. Indian government agrees that English is needed for communication with the world, and every school in India teaches English after the fifth grade. Then the Indian government says that all of us should know Hindi also in order to communicate amongst ourselves within India. I ask, "Since every school in India teaches English, why can't it be our link language? Why do Tamils have to study English for communication with the world and Hindi for communications within India? Do we need a big door for the big dog and a small door for the small dog? I say, let the small dog use the big door too!"

Unravelling the Myths - III

2006-12-13T22:59:00.000-06:00

5)Hindi is a dominant language and it makes sense to learn it

What do you mean by dominant language? Numbers??

If numbers mean superiority, then the people of the world will be learning “Chinese/Mandarin” and not English. Also, India would have come second in the Olympics.

Hindi in Devanagari script is ONE of the Official Languages in India along with 20 or so other languages including Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, English etc.

Specifically, Hindi in devanagari script is the Official language along with English in the central government and is also use by a few states and union territories. Out of the 28 states and 7 UTs, 10 States and 3 UTs use Hindi as one of the Official Languages. This still leaves the majority (18 states, 4 UTs) beyond their ambit.

Tamil:

1)Official language of India/TN/Pondicherry
2) Classical language
3) Official language of Singapore
4) official language of Sri Lanka
5) constitutionally recognized by the government of South Africa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language

6) Hindi helps the economy.

Tamil Nadu’s contribution to the Indian economy:

Cars – 21 %

Heavy Commercial Vehicles – 33%

Auto Components – 35%

Railway Coaches – 49%

Cotton Yarn – 32%

Leather Tanning Industry – 70%

Software -14%

Power Driven Pumps – 50 %

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Tamil_Nadu

Its comes third in terms of FDI investments after Maharashtra and Delhi region.

TN has achieved this without Hindi. I am NOT going to elaborate much on the BIMARU (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh; including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal) states. They have not shown any remarkable progress with Hindi. It basically means, Hindi does NOT influence the market.

Unravelling the Myths - II

2006-12-13T22:56:00.000-06:00

3) It makes it possible for TN to attract “talented migrants” like Bangalore.

Chennai is a leader based on available labour and low attrition whereas Bangalore suffers due to high attrition rate.

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/Apr282006/realty121272006427.asp

The above link talks about the A T Kearney’s Indian City Services Attractiveness Index 2005

One of the primary reasons that was stated for Chennai being “attractive” for investments is because it had a lower “attrition rate”. This “lower attrition rate” is largely attributed to the “stable population” in Chennai while B’lore has a “floating population” that would be willing to shift bases quite often unlike Chennai which produces the man-power from its “internal human resources”.

While this is not the only reason for the attrition rate, this plays an important role in keeping the attrition rate low according to Nasscom survey.

4) Hyderabad/AP has better software growth because they speak “hyderabadi” which helps to attract new talents from north India.

Karnataka logged in a software export growth of 36 per cent to touch Rs 37,600 crore for 2005-06 from Rs 27,600 crore during the last fiscal. Tamil Nadu's contribution during the fiscal was Rs 14,115 crore (Rs 10,730 crore) and Andhra Pradesh touched Rs 12,521 crore (Rs 8,270 crore), according to numbers released by respective STPI centres.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/07/stories/2006050702500300.htm

While there is a huge difference between Karnataka and TN in terms of software exports, AP/Hyderabad has still not caught up with TN.

Unravelling the Myths - I

2006-12-13T22:53:00.000-06:00

1) It promotes tourism since many north Indians would come down south to visit.

This is a pretty silly argument since NO region would changes it linguistic character for the sake of tourists dropping in unless and until their very source of livelihood depended on those tourists. This is not the case for TN. TN does not depend on tourism industry.

But still, I would like to add these points to counter:

France does NOT promote English which is widely used in the European Union but still it has the highest number of tourists flocking to the nation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_Rankings

Moreover, it makes perfect sense for the TN government to advertise and attract foreign tourists since better income can be generated from dollars and euros instead of just rupees.

2) It helps the TN people to move up north to get a job

As far as I know, many Tamils have moved up north and have picked up the dominant language in that region for their survival. When Tamils moving up north have picked up the dominant language, why can’t the north Indians moving to TN, pick up Tamil?

Moreover, what is the percentage of people who want to go up north to get a job? Is it okay for the state to waste its resources on a minuscule number instead of promoting other vocational courses that would produce skilled man power to contribute to the economy?

I think it does not make any sense to burden the whole population with another language when the time and resources can be used for learning a new subject or a vocational course that can generate income inside TN. This is specifically valid since India as a country is short on money and other critical resources that are essential for generating jobs/income.

By concentrating more on the vocational training and in learning new subjects instead of Hindi, TN can help in generating more jobs for the people in TN.

India does NOT have a National Language

2006-12-13T22:45:00.000-06:00

Part XVII of the constitution:
This part 17, defines an OFFICIAL language, NOT a national language.
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~sk4zw/india-const/p17.html

Article 345: This gives the State govt., power to decide its own "OFFICIAL LANGUAGE"
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~sk4zw/india-const/p17345.html

Article 343: This defines Hindi in devangari script and English to be the "OFFICIAL LANGUAGES" of union govt.
http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~sk4zw/india-const/p17343.html

DIFFERENCE between National and Official Language:

NATIONAL LANGUAGE: Defines the people of the nation, culture, history.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: A language that is used for official communication

While a National language by default can become the Official language, an Official language has to be APPROVED legally to become the National language.

All languages spoken in India, starting from the most populous to the least are our national languages, because all of them define the people of this nation, culture and their history collectively.

India has NO LEGALLY DEFINED NATIONAL LANGUAGES ONLY 23 OFFICIAL languages as per the constitution.