Language Committee
Topic: Framing the Indian Constitution · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Framing the Constitution"
Meaning
The Language Committee was a committee of the Constituent Assembly. It suggested a middle path on the bitter question of a national language. It proposed Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language. The changeover would be slow, and English would continue for all official purposes for the first fifteen years. Each province was free to pick a regional language for its own official work. This formula tried to calm the fears of non-Hindi areas while still giving Hindi a central place.
Example
In 1949 R.V. Dhulekar of the United Provinces demanded that Hindi be declared the national language. Members from Madras and Bombay warned against forcing Hindi on people. The Committee deliberately called Hindi "official" rather than "national" to calm hurt feelings and find a solution everyone could accept.
Don't confuse with
- National language: the Committee chose the word official language on purpose. Hindi was never declared India's national language. This is a common trap statement in exams.
Related concepts
- Hindustani
- R.V. Dhulekar
- Official language debate
- G. Durgabai
- Shankarrao Deo
- T.A. Ramalingam Chettiar