Tamil Nadu’s struggle with Hindi is more than politics – it’s a fierce movement that integrates the social and cultural structure of the state. Tamil Nadu’s argument is simple: Why impose a language on them?
So why is Tamil Nadu more active against Hindi than any other southern country? Why are the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK both unified on this issue? More importantly, will Tamil Nadu receive the National Education Policy (NEP) if Tamil Nadu does not belong to Hindi?
To answer these questions, we need to go back to the early 20th century, when this “language war” first broke out.
A movement rooted in history
Tamil Nadu’s struggle with Hindi did not begin with Chief Minister Mk Stalin or even his father M Karunanidhi. It is a kind of resistance dating back to nearly a century, which shapes the politics, identity and governance of the country.
In 1937, the first major incitement erupted when President C Rajagopalacari of President Madras tried to force Hindi in school. The decision caused a huge uproar. Leaders like rationalist social reformers Periyar Ev Ramasamy and CN Annadurai, founders of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), led the protests, resulting in more than 1,100 arrests. The movement took a crucial turn when two protesters Thalamuthu Nadar and Natarajan died in prison. Under great pressure, the government withdrew the order in February 1940.
By 1946, when an attempt at introducing Hindi in schools, the Dravid movement had gained momentum that the North was politically and economically exploiting the South. Founded in 1949, DMK imposed one of its core principles by opposing Hindi.
The biggest turning point was in 1965, when the coalition government tried to replace English with Hindi as the only official language. Tamil Nadu bursts in flames. Student leaders are restless, and sports turn into violence. Several students died in police shootings, while others caught fire in protest. The rebound was so intense that Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri was forced to step in and declare English as the “official language” along with Hindi.
Exciting had a lasting impact, Congress lost its stronghold in Tamil Nadu in the 1967 elections, and leaders of the movement, such as P Sreenivasan, defeated Congress veterans like K Kamaraj.
By 1968, Tamil Nadu had witnessed the rise of the DMK, which firmly rejected the three-language formula and implemented a strict two-language policy: Tamil and English. DMK even renamed all the Tamil radio stations of India to “Sanskrit” (Sanskrit) to “Tamil Vanoli”.
Even after the DMK split in 1972, it led to the formation of the AIADMK, and both sides continued to oppose Hindi imposition. Since then, Tamil Nadu has been unwavering in refusing to push forward Hindi policies at the expense of Tamil and English.
Historically, language was not only a medium of communication in Tamil Nadu, but also a symbol of resistance to forced centralization.
Why Tamil Nadu fights NEP 2020
The latest battlefield for the Tamil Nadu language war is the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The policy promotes a three-language formula, which many people see in Tamil Nadu as a “backdoor attempt to promote Hindi”.
But the opposition is deeper. Tamil Nadu has long believed that education should be a national theme and is tailored to its socio-cultural background. Thanks to the emphasis on secondary English education, the state already has a high literacy rate and a booming economy. Critics argue that NEP represents another attempt to implement a “some degree of appropriate” approach to the Center.
Will Tamil Nadu accept NEP if it does not include Hindi? perhaps. Maybe not. But the resistance of the state is about something bigger, it is the right to decide one’s own policies without being disturbed by Delhi.
The BJP’s push to Hindi, both in government communication, road signs and education, has rekindled tensions. Tamil Nadu even was denied education funding for denying NEP and expanded its trilingual policy.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that unless the state fully implements NEP 2020, including the trilingual policy, Samigra Sksha (SSA) is funded at Rs 2.152 crore.
Outside Tamil Nadu: Who else is resisting Hindi?
Tamil Nadu is probably the loudest voice in the anti-Indian movement, but it is not alone. Other states, especially in southern India, are also opposing Hindi’s growing dominance.
Karnataka witnessed sporadic protests against the Bangalore Hindi logo, while Kerala resisted the use of Hindi in administration and education. West Bengal and Maharashtra have held political debates on the role of Hindi, although not the same as Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, the Northeast has long opposed Hindi imposition, viewing it as a form of cultural erasure.
But unlike Tamil Nadu, these countries have not institutionalized their resistance. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, weaved its anti-Indian stance into its governance, rejecting the three-language formula and consistently postponing opposition to threats to its linguistic and political autonomy.
Beyond Language: Fighting for the Federalism
Tamil Nadu’s resistance to Hindi is not only about preserving Tamil. This is related to a broader focus on national autonomy and federalism. There is concern that language collection is part of a larger driving force for centralization, which may extend to governance, economic policy and political representation.
People pick up a language when necessary. Many Tamils have learned Hindi, just as many Hindi spokesmen in Tamil Nadu have taken Tamil. For Tamil Nadu, the question is not about learning Hindi – it involves the right to choose whether to learn it.
At the heart of this struggle is about federalism, language freedom and cultural identity.
For the DMK and other Dravidian parties, opposing Hindi is more than just protecting Tamil – it is about protecting Tamil Nadu’s autonomy. As history has shown, this is a battle where the country will not retreat.
