The people of Tamil Nadu are suffering greatly from the denial of the
three-language formula in schools. Strangely, even those who know a little
Hindi pretend not to. They say so out of fear of politicians. It can be said in
all fairness that Muslims do not hesitate to converse in Hindi in all parts of
the state. Why Tamilians, who have a knack for learning many languages, are
denied the chance to learn Hindi is beyond anyone’s imagination. What is most
shocking is that people have not launched any agitation against the imbecility
of those in power.
Because of the anti-Hindi attitude, opportunities for communication and
mobility across India are reduced, limiting access to certain jobs that require
Hindi. Many central government jobs, national companies, and customer-facing
roles require Hindi proficiency. Without it, candidates from Tamil Nadu often
face disadvantages compared to others, though those who are highly educated do
overcome this difficulty by learning the language soon.
Travelling or working in North and Central India becomes harder without
Hindi, as English is hardly spoken in smaller towns. Hindi dominates Indian
cinema and TV. Thus, not knowing it often limits participation in mainstream
cultural conversations.
The National Education Policy (NEP) promotes a three-language formula
including Hindi. Tamil Nadu’s resistance sometimes creates tension with the
Centre, potentially affecting funding and opportunities. In pan-Indian
organisations, Hindi often becomes the informal medium of communication.
Non-speakers may feel excluded. Currently, Tamil Nadu does not have any Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). The main reason is the state government’s
opposition, rooted in Tamil Nadu’s unique two-language policy and its resistance
to the three-language formula promoted by the Centre. This has led to decades
of refusal to allow JNVs, even though the central government funds them fully.
JNVs across India follow the three-language formula (regional language,
Hindi, English). Tamil Nadu enforces a two-language policy (Tamil + English),
rejecting compulsory Hindi, which is nothing but the height of foolishness.
With the intervention of the Supreme Court, it is hoped that the issue will be
resolved. The Supreme Court has directed Tamil Nadu to identify land in every
district for establishing Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) and to hold
consultations with the Union Government, rejecting the state’s objections that
these schools conflict with its two-language policy. The Court emphasised that
JNVs should not be turned into a language issue and highlighted their role in
providing quality education to rural and underprivileged students. The obduracy
of Tamil politicians in favouring English and opposing Hindi, that too, at the
detriment of the people, is not understandable. In fact, people should stand up
and fight against the irrational policies of Tamil political parties.
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