Framing the Constitution
The language of the nation
Contrast Dhulekar's and Durgabai's positions.
Which language should the nation speak? Gandhi wanted Hindustani, a blend of Hindi and Urdu, spoken by a large section of people and enriched by many cultures, as the national language.
But communal conflict pulled Hindi and Urdu apart: Hindi became more Sanskritised, and Urdu more Persianised, and each became linked with one religious community.
In the Assembly, R. V. Dhulekar, a member from the United Provinces, aggressively demanded that Hindi be made the national language, and that the Constitution be framed in it.
G. Durgabai from Madras warned that the south was alarmed: people there feared that Hindi would dominate their own languages and their culture, and that the opposition to Hindi would grow if it were forced on them.
The Language Committee found a compromise: Hindi in the Devanagari script would be the official language; English would continue to be used for official purposes for fifteen years; and each province could choose a regional language for its own work. Accommodation, not imposition.
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