“Even in our courts, the verdicts are in English,” Sonu Nigam said. (File photo)
New Delhi:
Although Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the country, it cannot be imposed on non-Hindi-speaking people as the language has not been named as a “national language in the constitution,” said singer Sonu Nigam, who expressed his opinion on the share controversy. which received national attention last week following a Twitter exchange between Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and Kannada actor Sudeep Sanjeev.
“As far as I know, Hindi is not written as a national language in the Constitution of India. I have also consulted experts on this. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the country, I understand that. Having said that, we are aware that Tamil is the oldest language in the world?There is a debate going on between Sanskrit and Tamil.People are saying that Tamil is the oldest language in the world, Nigam, a Padma Shri award winner, said when asked for his opinion on the matter.
Nigam said the controversy will create unwanted tensions in the country, which was already struggling with many internal problems.
“Do we have fewer problems in the country that we need a new one? We create disharmony in the country by imposing language on others and saying that you are a Tamilian, you must speak Hindi. Why should they? People should have the right have to decide which language they want to speak,” Nigam added.
Mr. Nigam made the comments while interacting with Sushant Mehta, the founder and CEO of BEAST Studios.
Perfect response to Ajay Devgn by Sonu Nigam : Let’s not divide the people further in this country where it is written that Hindi is our national language? † pic.twitter.com/hC9nHbXJHy
— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) May 2, 2022
†Chodo year (Leave all this). Let them cool. A punjabi should speak punjabi, Tamil must speak Tamil. If they feel comfortable in English, they will speak that language,” Nigam, who has sung songs in more than 32 languages, said to loud applause.
“Even in our courts, the verdicts are in English. The flight attendants also prefer the language,” he said.
Nigam also related an incident during a flight where the cabin crew member continued to speak in English despite his reply in Hindi.
The heated debate over Hindi as the national language made national headlines again after a heated exchange between Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and Kannada actor Sudeep Sanjeev on Thursday.
While Mr Sudeep pointed out that Hindi is not our national language, Mr Devgn questioned why South Indian language movies are dubbed into Hindi.
The exchange sparked a debate on social media, which also included politicians. Devgn, a section of Karnataka leaders claimed, had “babbled like a mouthpiece for the BJP”.
However, the pushback to Hindi is not limited to cinema. Last month, following Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah’s speech to promote Hindi, several leaders from the south warned that any attempt to impose Hindi would backfire.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan and Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao were among the leaders who spoke out against Mr Shah’s comments and emphasized that unity in diversity is India’s strength.
