Dear Ajay Devgn, No, Hindi is not our "National language"

Ajay Devgn and Kannada star Kichcha Sudeep's ongoing war of words has proved that the Hindi vs South films debate is not going to die down this easily. The ongoing debate in the Indian film industry over the films in the south gaining prominence over Hindi language films and not vice versa is turning into a heated topic with celebs on either side weighing in and taking jabs. And one such example was what happened between Ajay Devgn and Kichcha Sudeep today.

How did it all start?

It all started when reports of Sudeep hinting at Hindi not being a "national language" anymore surfaced everywhere. "You said that a pan India film was made in Kannada. I'd like to make a small correction. Hindi is no more a national language. They (Bollywood) are doing pan-India films today. They are struggling (to find success) by dubbing in Telugu and Tamil, but it's not happening. Today we are making films that are going everywhere," Sudeep is reported to have said at an event.

Ajay - Sudeep's war of words

Ajay Devgn, reacted to the statement fiercely. Devgn took to social media, tagged Sudeep and wrote in Hindi asking, "My brother, if according to you Hindi is not our national language then why do you dub and release films made in your mother tongue into Hindi? Hindi was, is and will always remain our mother tongue and national language. Jana Gana Mana."

Soon, responding to Devgn's tweet, Sudeep said that the way the message reached him was different than the actual context. "Hello @ajaydevgn sir.. the context to why i said tat line is entirely different to the way I guess it has reached you. Probably wil emphasis on why the statement was made when I see you in person. It wasn't to hurt,Provoke or to start any debate. Why would I sir," he asked.

Kichcha went on to add, "I love and respect every language of our country sir. I would want this topic to rest,,, as I said the line in a totally different context. Mch luv and wshs to you always.Hoping to seeing you soon." And, with a sarcastic take on the whole issue of inclusivity and language barried, Sudeep wrote, "And sir @ajaydevgn ,,I did understand the txt you sent in hindi. Tats only coz we all have respected,loved and learnt hindi. No offense sir,,,but was wondering what'd the situation be if my response was typed in kannada.!!Don't we too belong to India sir."

Ajay Devgn too responded and looked at the possibility of things getting lost in translation. "Hi @KicchaSudeep, You are a friend. thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding. I've always thought of the film industry as one. We respect all languages and we expect everyone to respect our language as well. Perhaps, something was lost in translation," he concluded.

To this, Kichcha clapped back and wrote, "Translation & interpretations are perspectives sir. Tats the reason not reacting wothout knowing the complete matter,,,matters.:)I don't blame you @ajaydevgn sir. Perhaps it would have been a happy moment if i had received a tweet from u for creative reason.Luv&Regards."

What does the Constitution say

However, it is to be noted that as per Article 343 of the Constitution of India, both Hindi and English are our official languages. And, as per the constitution, there is no national language.  "The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script," Article 343 of the Constitution says. It further states that Hindi and English, both are the official languages of, to be used for "official purposes" by the government. 

Since, India is a  union of states with over 1600 languages, Hindi solely could not have been termed as the National language. For that matter, no language has been enforced as the "National language" of the country. 

As per a report in The Quint, in 2010, the Gujarat High Court had observed, "Normally, in India, a majority of the people have accepted Hindi as a national language and many people speak Hindi and write in Devanagari script but there is nothing on record to suggest that any provision has been made or order issued declaring Hindi as a national language of the country."

Amit Shah's recent statement

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that the medium of running the government is the Official Language, and this will definitely increase the importance of Hindi. Now the time has come to make the Official Language an important part of the unity of the country. When citizens of States who speak other languages communicate with each other, it should be in the language of India," Amit Shah was quoted by the Ministry of Home Affairs as saying. This further explains how Hindi is the official language and not the National language of the country.