Language should be students’ choice

The Modi government, ruling party BJP, and its kindred outfits have been trying in recent months to draw the line in the sand between what obtained since independence in respect of politics and society and what they have in mind in terms of  prosecuting their “Hindu nationalist” project.

In the explicit political field, Jawaharlal Nehru was made the whipping boy in spite of his grand achievements and historic contribution. His most valued colleague and stalwart of the national movement, Vallabhbhai Patel, was set up as a binary against him. Now comes the turn of education and culture, the domain parties of the religious Right round the world seek to leave their mark on.

The area of education and culture is thus sought to be turned into a long-term recruiting ground for their politics as the focus is usually on school and college students. HRD minister Smriti Irani and her cohorts suddenly decided that Sanskrit should replace German as the compulsory third language for Kendriya Vidyalaya students although the academic session is about to end.

In effect, students will be required to gain a certain level of proficiency in a new language in double-quick time. The Constitution and the three-language formula have been dubiously quoted in support of the government stand. The SC on Friday has appropriately counselled that the study term should not be disrupted, and any changes must be effected at the beginning of an academic year.

It will be interesting to see how the government and the RSS family react, but it is clear that politics is being played with language and the process of learning in the name of culture. Sanskrit is a great and rich language of our ancient past linked to Hindu texts. Many modern Indian languages are linked to Sanskrit which (ironically in the present instance) also has similarities with German (as well as the Latin branch). So, what’s all the hullabaloo?

The short point is why should students themselves (possibly with the aid of parents) not enjoy the autonomy to decide what languages they wish to learn at school at the optional level? Many students opt for a contemporary language with employment in mind. Sanskrit may lead on to aesthetics and a deeper understanding of the past, but can hardly be deemed great on the employment quotient.

Thrusting anything down anyone’s gullet is fascistic. RSS ideologues seek to mandate Sanskrit saying the present generation will forget its culture and fall into the colonial trap if it doesn’t learn that hallowed language. But is Indian culture based only on Sanskrit (and Hinduism)?