Southern India and Language Issues as I see in 2024

 Southern India and Language Issues as I see in 2024

To be honest, South Indian people don't focus much on language politics, unlike the states governed by Dravidian parties.

There are several reasons why South Indian people don't exhibit animosity towards Hindi:

1. Geographical Position of South Indian Regions:

Telugu regions act as a gateway between Central, North, and Southern India, rather than being considered part of the extreme South. Because of this, Telugu people have significant interactions with people from Central India. Consequently, an average Telugu person can form friendships with both Tamilians and Central Indians.

2. Exposure Outside South India:

Many South Indian individuals spend a considerable part of their lives outside Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, either during their education or while working. Telugu people have a high representation in prestigious institutions like IITs, NITs, AIIMS, and JIPMER. This is because parents in South Indian states place a strong emphasis on these exams from a young age. When Telugu students join these institutions, they often find Hindi to be an adaptable language due to their constant exposure to people from different linguistic backgrounds. Thus, many parents view basic knowledge of Hindi as an additional skill for communication and survival when traveling to other parts of the country. Those South Indian people who work in cities like Surat, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata believe they have benefited from knowing Hindi and flourished there.

3. Exposure to Hindi through Entertainment Media:

Ask any South Indian person born in the '90s what they love most, and they'll likely say "Cinema." The current generation has watched many Bollywood movies, web series, and TV shows like Kapil Sharma's show and Koffee with Karan, alongside South Indian movies. This has provided them with considerable exposure to Hindi through entertainment and digital media. Surprisingly, some of my friends who have never traveled outside the South Indian states can still speak Hindi at a decent level due to the influence of movies. In urban centers, some screens regularly play Bollywood movies.

4. Inclusivity of South Indian People:

Unlike some Political parties, South Indian people are more inclusive. For example, in temples of Tamilnadu, they accommodate every pilgrim or tourist in their language of comfort. I am unsure if this is possible at pilgrimage or tourist spots in North India, as I haven't noticed people talking Tamil in Kashi, Haridwar, Badrinath and Kedarnath.

Regarding cities like Bangalore, Chennai or Kochi or Hyderabad, it is considered the place where North meets South. It is a melting pot of people from diverse linguistic backgrounds, which is why Hindi has become an alternative language of communication for native lanugage speakers in South India.

In conclusion, South Indian people generally don't engage in linguistic politics. This doesn't mean they don't love their language; it's just that due to their exposure to multiple cultures during graduation, migration for work, and through entertainment media, they don't perceive Hindi as an alien language. Only 3 language policy is going to help India and integrate South India with North India apart from South Indian folks paying bulk of taxes for North India.