Lorho questions rational of 'compulsory Hindi'
Source: The Sangai Express
Senapati, April 12 2022:
Outer Manipur MP, Dr Lorho S Pfoze has questioned the Union Home Minister and Chairman, Parliamentary Official Language Committee Amit Shah over the decision to make Hindi a compulsory subject in all the 8 North Eastern States.
In a letter addressed to the Union Home Minister over imposition of Hindi as a compulsory language for learning in the schools of NE States of India, the Outer Manipur MP stated that democracy in India is characterised by "Unity in Diversity" that has provided a unified vision to the people to make the nation a great one.
"Diverse as we are, the secular fabric of the Nation has been woven in recognition of regional differences, mutual tolerance and acceptance that allow us to live together with our differences which in turn has made India a beautiful Nation and hence, the greatest democracy in the world.
North East India with just about 3.76% population of the country living in 7.98% of the land mass, has the widest range of ethnic and cultural diversities with more than 220 dialects or languages spoken.
These diversities have tended to break us up into small isolated sections mainly caused by keeping the region isolated, exploited, marginalised and neglected.
No sufficient interventions to give honourable and equitable development to the region were accorded until NDA came to power in 1998-2004 and again from 2014 till date," said the MP.
"NDA under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed the image of India to the people of the North East positively but this imposition of Hindi as compulsory will undo what NDA has painstakingly built up over the years with one stroke," the MP mentioned.
North East India is a complex region with multiple challenges to the Govt of India.
It is only in recent times, because of the challenging attitudes of the leadership at the centre that people of the region are beginning to come closer and learning to adapt to peaceful co-existence.
The MP is confident that when these regional issues are recognised and addressed positively, the sense of "National Integrity" will be enhanced, Dr Lorho added.
The Manipur MP who is also a member in the Parliamentary Committee on Health & Family Welfare, Consultative Committee on Roads & Highways and Consultative Committee on Zonal Railway Users (NFR) also stated that Hindi is a beautiful and rich language and has become a widely used means of communication the world over.
Therefore, learning the language is undoubtedly important.
However, imposition of any sort always creates a negative attitude towards a gesture.
Imposing Hindi upon the NE India at the moment will only compound the learning burden on NE students while at present too, learning the ethic language - mother tongue in the primary level education is basic.
Learning of the State language � in the case of Manipur, the Manipuri language is also compulsory.
Hence, compulsory learning of Hindi till Class X on top of two other languages is like deliberately awarding a curriculum disadvantage to NE students in comparison to students whose ethnic language is Hindi.
The present issue of making Hindi a compulsory subject in the NE States is ill advised and too hasty, which is why a lot of disgruntlement and objections amongst the various Student Organizations have arisen.
While some Govt of the Southern States have registered objection to the move of the Central Govt, the imposition is only going to cause a further sense of alienation to the people of North East India, he asserted.
In this regard, the MP requested the Union Home Minister not to impose compulsory learning of Hindi so suddenly but instead create an atmosphere of ease and pleasure to learning Hindi as an optional subject in the North East, especially in the State of Manipur.
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