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India is renowned for having a wide variety of languages, customs, and cultural practises. In India, there are over 700 different languages. India, however, lacks a national tongue. There are 22 official languages which are granted governmental acknowledgement and support, according to the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution. However, no language has been awarded the designation of national language by the Indian constitution.
India Official Languages
Every region of India has a different culture, making it a diversified nation. Each of the 28 states & 8 Union Territories that make up this union represents its own unique cultural heritage and dialect. There are 22 scheduled languages in all, and they are all extensively spoken in various states, as per the 8th Schedule of the Indian constitution. It was challenging to choose the national language of India because there are so many different languages spoken there.
Hindi written in Devanagari shall be the official language of the Union, according to Article 343 (1) of the Indian Constitution. The international version of Indian numerals shall be utilised for all official purposes of the Union.
When communicating with the states in the Hindi Belt, the Central Government uses Hindi.
English is utilised to communicate with the states as an Associate Official Language of India.
List of Languages Used in India
Language | State |
Assamese | Assam and Arunachal Pradesh |
Bengali | West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, and Andaman Islands |
Gujarati | Gujarat, Daman, and Diu |
Hindi | Almost all over the country involving North-Central India |
Kannada | Karnataka |
Kashmiri | Kashmir |
Konkani | Goa, Southern Maharashtra, North Karnataka, and Kerala. |
Malayalam | Southwestern Kerala, Lakshadweep, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu |
Manipuri | Manipur, Assam, Mizoram, and Tripura |
Marathi | Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Gujarat, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli. |
Nepali | Sikkim, West Bengal |
Odia | Odisha |
Punjabi | Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. |
Sanskrit | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
Sindhi | Gujarat & Maharashtra |
Tamil | Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. |
Urdu | Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Delhi, Bihar, & Uttar Pradesh. |
Telugu | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana states, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Puducherry, and Chhattisgarh also. |
Bodo | Assam |
Dogri | Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. |
Maithili | Bihar and Jharkhand |
Santali | It is spoken in Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Tripura, and Bengal. It is spoken in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan also. |
Language Debate in India
Since the Constitution was being created, there has been discussion about whether Hindi should be considered India’s “National Language.” The Draft National Education Policy, which appears to give Hindi more priority than other Indian languages, has recently revived it. In reality, only about 44% of Indians speak Hindi as their first language, including those who speak Bhojpuri.
Role of Constituent Assembly
The Constituent Assembly was the beginning of the national language debate. It was given the duty of debating the language issue. However, several academics, including Rama Kant Agnihotri, think that a group of elites dominated the assembly deliberations, marginalising the desires of the minorities.
8th Schedule
There is a list of the national languages in the eighth schedule. The schedule originally had 14 languages, but there are currently 22 languages. The kind of languages which are or will be involved in the 8th Schedule are not described.
Emphasis on the Official Languages
Even if the language chosen for the purpose is one of the country’s many regional tongues and belongs to the largest linguistic group, national integration in a multilingual nation does not need the adoption of single official language on the nation. On the other hand, it is undeniable that having one or more languages designated as the official (rather than national) language or languages for centre-state and inter-state communication is advantageous and, in fact, is required for a variety of political, legal, economic, and even social reasons.
Evolution of Language Debate
- Since 1965, there have been some changes in the language dispute.
- A national education policy was adopted in 1968.
- It offered a three-language formula that recommended studying Hindi alongside English and the local tongue as an optional third language in non-Hindi speaking states.
- The Draft New Education Policy 2019, which purportedly amended the 1968 NPE, advocated making Hindi a required subject in schools in non – Hindi Speaking States.
- Outrage over the proposal was especially strong in southern states such as Tamil Nadu.
Conclusion
The establishment of single official language is not necessary for National Integration in Multilingual Nation.
It is indisputable that having one or more languages designated as the official language of the centre-state and for interstate communication is necessary for a variety of political, economic, legal, and even social reasons.
A language which is spoken by a sizable portion of a country’s population is considered the national language.
The 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution recognises 22 different languages.
