Delhi Diary: A Language Debate Over Indian Passports In Hindi

By Shakir Husain NEW DELHI, June 28 (Bernama) -- There is a new language debate in India after the country's foreign minister said last week that passports would be issued both in English and Hindi instead of just English. Spoken by a majority of Indians but only in about one-third of the 29 states, Hindi is India's top official language. However, it's English that is seen as the national language of communication at both official and private levels, although the number of those identifying it as their first language is minuscule. Most people have Hindi (mainly in north India) or some other official language as their native tongue but have adopted English as their lingua franca. English is also seen as a language that unifies the nation of 1.3 billion people where hundreds of languages and dialects are spoken by a variety of ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. The Indian constitution lists about two dozen official languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, Kashmiri, Punjabi and Gujarati, most of which define various geographic regions and cultures. The debate whether Hindi can be a pan-India language is a long-running one and often provokes strong passions, but the idea of providing passport details in Hindi has led to questions about the practical value for such a move. "Passports should at least be bilingual. All Arab countries have their passport in Arabic, Germany makes it in German and Russia makes it in Russian. Why can't we make it Hindi?" Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj said, speaking at an event to mark the 50 years of the Passport Act. The Indian passport is printed in both Hindi and English but the holder's personal details are given only in English. Many people wonder how adding personal details in Hindi would help passport holders. Some see more confusion as a result of putting details in two language, while others question the relevance of Hindi in the document that is primarily used for foreign travel. In a sarcastic comment online, columnist Mihir Sharma said: "Good news! The many other countries in which Hindi is an official language can finally understand our passports." India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is vocal about promoting the Hindi language. Swaraj's colleague in the federal cabinet, Venkaiah Naidu, urged citizens to learn the “national language”. “Hindi as Rashtra Bhasha (national language) is very important, we cannot do without it,” he said. This drew a sharp reaction from Congress leader Shashi Tharoor: "Hindi is not our national language. It is India's most widely-spoken language and useful to know. But it cannot and should not be imposed on anyone." Southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are particularly zealous about guarding their linguistic and cultural identity. Jothimani Sennimalai from Tamil Nadu asked on social media: "Why should my passport have Hindi along with English? It should be my mother tongue Tamil. Do not impose Hindi on us." -- BERNAMA