Hindi Fanaticism should be opposed

by Guest Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:32 am

In this connection I may mention that when I was a Judge in the Allahabad High Court, the office bearers of the High Court Bar Association would invite me to the Hindi Diwas function which is held every year. I would tell them that it is better that I do not attend the function as I would say things which some people may not like. However, they would insist that I attend, and I ultimately agreed. When I would come to the function I heard some lawyers saying ‘Angrezi dasi hai’ (English is a slave girl), or ‘Angrezi hatao’ ( abolish English). When my turn came to speak I said that my mother tongue,too, is Hindi, but that does not mean that I should behave like a fool. I asked the audience whether they would like their children to prosper ? If they did, they must make them learn English, because scientific knowledge, and even knowledge in other subjects, is almost entirely in English. I said that it was silly to say ‘Angrezi hatao’ or ‘Angrezi dasi hai’.

I would also like to add that simple Hindi, which is also called Hindustani or khariboli should be used instead of ‘klisht’ (literary) Hindi. In this connection I may mention that when I was a Judge of the Allahabad High Court a lawyer who always argues in Hindi appeared before me with a petition entitled ‘Pratibhu Avedan Patra’. I asked him what ‘pratibhu’ meant. He said it meant a bail application. I told him that he should have used the word bail or zamanat, which everybody understands, instead of the word ‘pratibhu’ which no one, not even Hindi speakers, understand. Similarly, one day when I was on a morning walk near a military establishment in Allahabad I saw a board on which it was written ‘Pravaran Kendra’. I could not understand the meaning of these words. I looked below where it was written in English ‘Selection Centre’. I thought they should have written ‘bharti daftar’ which everyone would understand instead of ‘Pravaran Kendra’ which no one would understand.

It seems that after Independence in 1947 some people decided to remove Persian words which had become of common usage in Hindi, and replace them with Sanskritized words which no one understood. Thus, the word ‘zila’ (district), which everyone understands, was sought to be replaced by the word ‘janapad’.

In my opinion this was wrong. A language becomes stronger if it adopts words from a foreign language, and it is a misconception that it becomes weaker. Thus, English has become stronger by adopting words from French, German, Arabic, Persian, Hindustani,etc. Hence one should not be intolerant in such matters, particularly when the foreign word has passed into common usage.

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/satyam-bruyat/the-language-question/

by Guest Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:38 am

That being so, why this hate-Hindi movement? On reaching Dimapur, we have to communicate in Hindi. Even if Muivah manages to tear away his dream Nagalim from, India, right now at this moment, he cannot stop use of Hindi from Dimapur in his lifetime, languages take time to spread out and also to fade away. Manipuris should learn Hindi.
Incidentally, the enthusiasm of Hindi zealots to coin, new and unfamiliar Hindi words like Doordarshan for television etc is condemnable. Television is a word understood by everyone, motorcar is simply untransl-atable, X-ray is plain X-ray and so on. Imitating Hindi fanatics, we have in Meitriebak, old Sabhapati as Mayaitangbal now or Samaj as Khunai etc. To help Manipuris learn Hindi faster, those old Sanskritised Hindi words ought not to have been discarded. I am saying these at the peril of being branded as anti-Meitei. On the contrary, I am a full-blooded Meitei, but at the same time do not like your imposition of Meitreibak or Kangleipak on beautiful Manipur, the name I adore. Sorry for my Manipuriness.

http://thesangaiexpress.manipur.us/2006/05/03/Others/Articles.htm

Hindi Fanaticism should be opposed

Hindi Fanaticism should be opposed

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