The ongoing discourse in Tamil Nadu against alleged Hindi imposition has received support from an unexpected quarter, with a sitting judge of the Madras High Court, Justice Anand Venkatesh, underscoring the importance of safeguarding linguistic identity and remembering the state's historic language agitations.
Addressing students and faculty at a law college, Justice Anand Venkatesh spoke candidly about Tamil Nadu's long-standing resistance to language imposition, drawing from a personal experience involving his son. The judge said he realised the gap in historical awareness among the younger generation after watching the recently released Tamil film Parasakthi with his son, a movie that prominently deals with the language movement in the state.
"I went to the Parasakthi movie with my son. After watching it, I asked him about the history of the language agitation in Tamil Nadu. He said he was not aware of it. I felt ashamed and considered myself to have failed in my responsibility," Justice Venkatesh said, stressing that knowledge of the language agitation was essential for every Tamil.
Emphasising that Tamils were not opposed to learning other languages, the judge firmly rejected any attempt at linguistic imposition. "We all know that without learning English, one cannot cross Tamil Nadu. Tamils are not against other languages, and Tamils are even learning other languages. But because of the antiquity and pride of my Tamil language, I will never accept language imposition from others," he said.
Justice Venkatesh also offered a perspective on classical languages, highlighting Tamil's antiquity and its continued use as a living language. He noted that Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chinese, Sanskrit and Tamil were all over 2,000 years old, but pointed out that Greek, Latin and Hebrew were no longer spoken languages, while Sanskrit was largely confined to religious use. "Chinese and Tamil are the two 2,000-year-old languages that are still spoken languages," he observed.
The judge further expressed concern over the declining interest in studying Tamil among students, attributing it to a utilitarian, marks-driven approach to education. "In language, scoring marks is not important. It is important to understand that language is our breath and soul. Language is our identity," he said, adding that the prominence given to other second languages in schools had gradually reduced students' exposure to Tamil.
Tamil Nadu witnessed intense anti-Hindi agitations in the 1960s against attempts at Hindi imposition, a movement spearheaded by the DMK that eventually propelled the Dravidian party to power. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had later assured that English would continue as the link language between the Centre and the states, and that Hindi would not be imposed if even a single state opposed it.
With Assembly elections due in Tamil Nadu in a few months, the ruling DMK has been invoking Parasakthi to reconnect with younger voters and highlight its historical role in safeguarding the Tamil language.
