Why Chennai can't and won't speak Hindi

[Chola warrior]

Okay take a situation-

A Northie goes to Chennai. He can't speak Tamil and also doesn't know any English. he wants to talk to a Tamil guy who knows how to speak Hindi. Should the Tamil guy just walk away or converse with the Northie in hindi ?

This is what a Bihari girl working with me was discussing with her friend:

Hey this is so hard here in Chennai. Why can't they learn some Hindi here so that it would be helpful for us people. Isn't this hypocrisy?
So I answered will you learn Tamil when I come to Bihar? She replied with same ignorance: But Hindi is national language.
Then I replied maybe this is why they call you BIMARU ( I didn't to be offensive to people here). This is most actual situation prevailing now.

Eventually they will blame it on Tamil people's mentality. Yeah we will proudly say we are language minded people. For us Tamil comes even before god. This is coming from a Half telugu.

Because we have over 100 languages, do we have 100 kinds of coins or notes?

Tomorrow, once each note is assigned a language, the ultra-weirdos will start asking as to why is Hindi written on a 5 rupee coin and Tamil or Kannada on 2 rupee coin, why not equal rights for all.

Hindi is spoken by over 40% of Indians, making it a default link language.

Default link language? LOL So there are more dogs in streets than tigers in India..can we make street dogs national animal?
If you can't respect diversity eventually there wont be unity.

 

[Contrarian]

Default link language? LOL So there are more dogs in streets than tigers in India..can we make street dogs national animal?
If you can't respect diversity eventually there wont be unity.

I respect all languages of India. It does not mean that I will learn all the languages of India. I will expect all States of India to protect and preserve and promote all the local languages of the States.

But I will have to learn those languages which are spoken most widely. As more than 40% of India speaks Hindi, that does make it the default link language of India. Using emoticons does not change that reality.

Why do you think there is a trilingual education system in India?

 

[Chola warrior]

I respect all languages of India. It does not mean that I will learn all the languages of India. I will expect all States of India to protect and preserve and promote all the local languages of the States.

But I will have to learn those languages which are spoken most widely. As more than 40% of India speaks Hindi, that does make it the default link language of India. Using emoticons does not change that reality.

Why do you think there is a trilingual education system in India?

If 40% speak Hindi then remaining 60% don't speak Hindi. I don't know about trilinguale policy of other states but it will never be in Tamil nadu
Hindi is complete alien language for a common Tamil person so why one should learn that? According to your logic then we have to learn 2 alien languages- Hindi and English? But you people will enjoy with the feel of nativity all over India wjile we suffer with the feel of 2nd citizen? If India is democracy then there must be equal rights for all irrespective of numbers.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

This is what a Bihari girl working with me was discussing with her friend:

Hey this is so hard here in Chennai. Why can't they learn some Hindi here so that it would be helpful for us people. Isn't this hypocrisy?
So I answered will you learn Tamil when I come to Bihar? She replied with same ignorance: But Hindi is national language.
Then I replied maybe this is why they call you BIMARU ( I didn't to be offensive to people here). This is most actual situation prevailing now.

Eventually they will blame it on Tamil people's mentality. Yeah we will proudly say we are language minded people. For us Tamil comes even before god. This is coming from a Half telugu.

You didn't answer my question at all.

What if a north Indian does not know Tamil or English and only knows Hindi. He wants to converse with you and you know Hindi then should you not talk in Hindi to help that poor guy ?

The only issues that some Northies have in Chennai is that when Tamils even know Hindi they still don't speak it. Tamils don't need to learn Hindi but when they already know the language then what harm is there in conversing in Hindi with a North Indian ?

 

[Chola warrior]

You didn't answer my question at all.

What if a north Indian does not know Tamil or English and only knows Hindi. He wants to converse with you and you know Hindi then should you not talk in Hindi to help that poor guy ?

The only issues that some Northies have in Chennai is that when Tamils even know Hindi they still don't speak it. Tamils don't need to learn Hindi but when they already know the language then what harm is there in conversing in Hindi with a North Indian ?

Its just your prejudice.
So poor Tamil guy doesn't know English or Hindi then what about him?

Tamils already know Hindi? Where? when? how? why?

 

[Contrarian]

If 40% speak Hindi then remaining 60% don't speak Hindi.
Hindi is complete alien language for a common Tamil person so why one should learn that? According to your logic then we have to learn 2 alien languages- Hindi and English? But you people will enjoy with the feel of nativity all over India wjile we suffer with the feel of 2nd citizen? If India is democracy then there must be equal rights for all irrespective of numbers.

By the same token in a democracy, what happens when a candidate wins with 51% of the vote? Because the other got 49% of the vote. Who gets the seat?
So according to you, we should give the seat to the other candidate as well, because there must be equal rights.

If the single biggest language spoken in India is Hindi, with the second biggest being a distant second with not even half of Hindi's coverage, it is exactly like the election scenario I just spoke of.

No one denies the rights of Tamils to speak in Tamil to anyone in the country who can understand it. No one denies the rights of a Punjabi to study Punjabi in Punjab. That is true equality.

Had GoI denied the States to speak, teach or learn any of the local languages then it would have been unfair.

And so, people from North India to South India, West India to North East India are mandated to learn 3 languages.
1. Hindi
2. English
3. Local Language/Sanskrit/Foreign Language.

So, even those in Hindi speaking belts learn 3 languages.

Lastly, nativity is in the minds. I feel as comfortable and a native in Tamil Nadu as I feel in Delhi despite the fact that I donot know Tamil. I enjoy the differences in culture and language. And donot feel like a '2nd citizen'. I respect the fact that they speak Tamil. Similarly, there are thousands and thousands on Tamils in Delhi, who donot feel like '2nd citizens'.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

Its just your prejudice.
So poor Tamil guy doesn't know English or Hindi then what about him?

Tamils already know Hindi? Where? when? how? why?

You choose not to answer the question and call me prejudiced. You are incapable.

Let me answer it this way. If a Tamil guy comes to Delhi and he doesn't know English or Hindi while I know Tamil, it will be my duty to help out that guy by conversing with him in Tamil.

In a similar situation a Tamil who understands and speaks Hindi should converse with the Northie in Hindi if the Northie doesn't know Tamil or English. The problems is some Tamils who know Hindi will still not talk to the North Indian in hindi even when the see that the North Indian is struggling to communicate. This is what I have heard from some people. Never been to TN myself.

And yes there are Tamils who know Hindi. Tamils who have worked in Hindi speaking cities for long periods of time do speak some Hindi. Tamils even who have lived in Tamil Nadu all their life do sometimes speak Hindi if they watched Hindi movies or TV serials.

My boss in Delhi is a very senior advocate and is a Tamil. I meet his clients from TN some of who do speak and/or understand some Hindi.

Indians are much more connected to each other today than you would like to believe.

 

[Chola warrior]

By the same token in a democracy, what happens when a candidate wins with 51% of the vote? Because the other got 49% of the vote. Who gets the seat?
So according to you, we should give the seat to the other candidate as well, because there must be equal rights.

If the single biggest language spoken in India is Hindi, with the second biggest being a distant second with not even half of Hindi's coverage, it is exactly like the election scenario I just spoke of.

No one denies the rights of Tamils to speak in Tamil to anyone in the country who can understand it. No one denies the rights of a Punjabi to study Punjabi in Punjab. That is true equality.

Had GoI denied the States to speak, teach or learn any of the local languages then it would have been unfair.

And so, people from North India to South India, West India to North East India are mandated to learn 3 languages.
1. Hindi
2. English
3. Local Language/Sanskrit/Foreign Language.

So, even those in Hindi speaking belts learn 3 languages.

Lastly, nativity is in the minds. I feel as comfortable and a native in Tamil Nadu as I feel in Delhi despite the fact that I donot know Tamil. I donot feel like a '2nd citizen'. I respect the fact that they speak Tamil. Similarly, there are thousands and thousands on Tamils in Delhi, who donot feel like '2nd citizens'.

1. Voting and right to equality are two different things in a democracy. So your logic is fallacious. .
2. When we don't want to learn Hindi why impose with trilanguage policy? We just don't want to do that until and unless if its made mandatory in Hindi states to learn any one of Indian language other than Hindi. Can you do that?
3. Yeah for you nativity wont be problem because you are in comfortable pot.

You choose not to answer the question and call me prejudiced. You are incapable.

Let me answer it this way. If a Tamil guy comes to Delhi and he doesn't know English or Hindi while I know Tamil, it will be my duty to help out that guy by conversing with him in Tamil.

In a similar situation a Tamil who understands and speaks Hindi should converse with the Northie in Hindi if the Northie doesn't know Tamil or English.

And yes there are Tamils who know Hindi. Tamils who have worked in Hindi speaking cities for long periods of time do speak some Hindi. Tamils even who have lived in Tamil Nadu all their life do sometimes speak Hindi if they watched Hindi movies or TV serials.

My boss in Delhi is a very senior advocate and is a Tamil. I meet his clients from TN some of who do speak and/or understand some Hindi.

Indians are much more connected to each other today than you would like to believe.

Your question can't be answered because its based on your assumption. How do you know Tamils know Hindi but don't help? You are capable of reading minds? Maybe he really don't know or not capable to the level of conversing.

So you better take-off your assumptions that everyone in India will be knowing Hindi. This is exact attitude we hate to see.

 

[Gibbs]

Wow.. The hypocrisy in this thread is truly a sight to behold

 

[Contrarian]

1. Voting and right to equality are two different things in a democracy. So your logic is fallacious. .
2. When we don't want to learn Hindi why impose with trilanguage policy? We just don't want to do that until and unless if its made mandatory in Hindi states to learn any one of Indian language other than Hindi. Can you do that?

Are you unaware that all students are made to learn 3 languages in school even in the Hindi states?

The third language is upto the school to decide. And generally schools offer a variety of languages that you can choose from. The students can then pick their choice from what is on offer.

3. Yeah for you nativity wont be problem because you are in comfortable pot.

There really is no answer to that now is there. I am as comfortable in Delhi, as I am in Bihar as I am in Tamil Nadu as I am in Punjab.
Its always fun to try and negotiate in the local languages of the State.

Some people even feel uncomfortable in moving outside of their cities and feel they are '2nd citizens'. There is no cure for that disease.

 

[Gandhi G in da house]

\

So you better take-off your assumptions that everyone in India will be knowing Hindi. This is exact attitude we hate to see.

Nowhere did I state the bold part. You are deliberately twisting my words and intentions. Anyway, I am done. Nobody is forcing you to learn Hindi. Don't learn it

 

[IamBengali]

At least Hindi is a beautiful language that we can listen. Look at Tamil, when you hear it, it's like some drumstick going through your ear.

Azizam , I want to know one thing about Lankans. Are they very similar to South Indians?

On Topic:

Tamil and Hindi are completely different languages. Absolutely no similarities. Its very hard for a Tamilian to speak a 'foreign' language and same goes to Hindi speakers. I am a Bangla speaker. I can speak better Hindi than many Indian Hindi speakers. Its because Bangla and Hindi are very similar languages. Our alphabets are also same.

 

[godofwar]

Yup I learnt English,Hindi and Sanskrit in my schooldays.
We need to increase commonality in our country, not decrease it.

 

[Azizam]

Azizam , I want to know one thing about Lankans. Are they very similar to South Indians?

On Topic:

Tamil and Hindi are completely different languages. Absolutely no similarities. Its very hard for a Tamilian to speak a 'foreign' language and same goes to Hindi speakers. I am a Bangla speaker. I can speak better Hindi than many Indian Hindi speakers. Its because Bangla and Hindi are very similar languages. Our alphabets are also same.

If by Sri Lankans you mean Sinhalese then some people look similar but cilturally and linguistically different. From South India I only know about Tamil Nadu because of LTTE fanboys in this forum so I don't know physical features about other South Indians.

 

[IamBengali]

Indian Languages

Hindi 41%,
Bengali 8.1%,
Telugu 7.2%,
Marathi 7%,
Tamil 5.9%,
Urdu 5%,
Gujarati 4.5%,
Kannada 3.7%,
Malayalam 3.2%,
Oriya 3.2%,
Punjabi 2.8%,
Assamese 1.3%,
Maithili 1.2%,
other 5.9%