Sponsor Area

Mahatma Gandhi And The Nationalist Movement

Question
CBSEENHS12027968

What should the qualities of a national language be?

Solution

A few months before his death, Mahatma Gandhi reiterated his views on the language question : This Hindustani should be neither Sanskritised Hindi nor Persianised Urdu, but a happy combination of both. It should also freely admit words wherever necessary from the different regional languages and also assimilate words from foreign languages, provided that they can mix well and easily with our national language.Thus our national language must develop into a rich and powerful instrument capable of expressing the whole gamut of human thought and feelings. To confine oneself to Hindi or Urdu would be a crime against intelligence and the spirit of patriotism. HARIJANSEVAK, 12 October 1947.

(i) Examine the views of Gandhiji on the language issue.

(ii) Do you agree with the views of Gandhiji? Give reasons.

(iii) Explain why Hindi and Urdu started growing apart.

Tips: -

(i) This Hindustani should be neither Sanskritised Hindi nor Persinaised Urdu, but a happy combination of both. It should also freely admit words wherever necessary from the different regional languages and also assimilate words from foreign languages, provided that they can mix well and easily with our national language. Thus our national language must develope into a rich and powerful instrument capable of expressing the whole gamut of human thought and feelings.

(ii) Yes, To confine oneself to Hindi or Urdu would be a crime against intelligence and the spirit of patriotism.

(iii) Hindi and Urdu started growing apart because people were restricted to use more of Hindu who were the believers of Hinduism and Muslims were more restricted to use Urdu words. It was a issue of religion and with all the religious fight it has gone apart and people were restricted to their own languages.