Language is a big barrier in Chennai for many. But here is why it should NOT be challenged.

I was waiting for the pain relief injection in the emergency ward of the Annai Arul Hospital. An injured person was brought by three more people just next to my bed. They seemed to be few of them whom we call the underprivileged part of our society. The nurse came to his bed and started the conversation in English. It was difficult for the injured man as well as his fellow attendees to understand anything. The man kept describing in Hindi that a heavy iron rod fell on his feet at the construction site where he was working as a labor. The nurse couldn’t understand either and went away after a while.

I had some relief after getting the injection and tried to sleep. The person next to me kept moaning in pain. His attendees were getting impatient.

My mother tongue is Bengali, I have been born and brought up in a very small city of Maharashtra. My in laws are from Himachal, and work took me to 6 different states of India. But I understood Hindi! I understood that they were saying that once the farming season is up they would leave the city and never come back. It was almost 45 minutes since they had come to the hospital. Finally a doctor came who could understand Hindi and started treating the injured, Hindi speaking labor.

It has been a year in Chennai now. Though most of the people think that Chennai has a bad weather, I am in love with the weather here as it’s either, pleasantly hot, a little hot, more hot or extremely hot. And so I just have to be prepared for a summer season in regards to clothes or beddings or gadgets unlike Delhi, where you have to have a set of summer clothes, shut them somewhere during the winters and dry clean the winter clothes, where you have to take out all your quilts and blankets just before October and keep them in the sun as you never know when you will be able to see the sun next and keep them back after March as now even looking at those quilts will make you feel hotter, where you have to own an Air Conditioner as well as a room heater, a geyser as well as a chilling bathtub.

I like the way I can move around wearing anything simple and inexpensive too, as no one is judging you by your clothes unlike people do in Gurgaon. I love the city for the perfect law and order system which gives me the confidence to step out of my house alone at any time of the day or night unlike in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan or Noida, U.P where if you step out even in daylight you might hear background sounds like “Ke Chahiye Maedam” (what do you want Madam in a sarcastic way). I like the perks of staying in a city which gives all the comfort of simple living like a small city does and all the advantages of getting higher education and access to malls and beaches as a metropolitan does.

Though my favorite city will always be Pune, Chennai beats it in hosting. The people here are always ready to help. If you don’t find a particular product in one shop, the shopkeeper himself will recommend another shop for you. If you don’t know which fish to buy, a fellow buyer may suggest you the best one and even bargain with the fish seller on behalf of you. If you have just shifted, the neighbors would be courteous enough to offer help unlike Pune, where a neighbor might just come out and say “Amcha ghara pudhe samaan thevu naka” (Don’t keep your furniture in front of our house).

The temples are beautiful and well maintained. You don’t have to be worried about your sandals kept outside the temple while chanting inside, unlike most of the places in India. For that matter you have to take out your sandals outside most of the shops and hospitals and houses too. However, you will find it as safe as it was with you when you come back.

Yes! I was uncomfortable in Chennai in the initial months of my stay here. I was uncomfortable taking out my shoes outside any place I am entering unlike North India. I was uncomfortable when my daughter was asked to sit on the floor in the school. I was uncomfortable when I saw men bare chest all around. I was uncomfortable when no one played with colors on Holi or lit diyas on Diwali. But I realized that this was their way of living, which was different but not difficult. I accepted the city as it is, eventually, and at the end of a year I can bet that it is one of the best cities to live in, in India. But there is one condition applied. And that condition is that you should know either Tamil or English.

The injured, Hindi speaking labor did not know both and so he will have to suffer for it.

In spite of the fact that this city is just perfect, this one thing kept annoying me. I thought Chennaites are just too much stubborn when it comes to language.  I think most of us who has been to Chennai from any other city from the central or northern part of India has similar views about the people here. But then why do they think in this way? What makes them fight just on this small issue with the rest of the country?

Here’s the reason..

1. Tamil is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world.  Tamil literature has existed for over 2000 years. The earliest epigraph records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around  the 3rd century BC. The earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam  literature, is dated from the 300 BC – 300 CE. And this special language has its own style, special letters, pronunciations, grammar, etc.. It’s not a Sanskrit based language like Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati or most of the languages are in India. And so Tamilians firstly find it as difficult to learn Hindi as Sanskrit based language speaking people do to learn Tamil.
2. Most of the North Indian states and a few southern states too were ruled by the Mughals at some point of time but Tamil Nadu has never been. It was ruled just by the British and hence the acceptance of English and not Hindi.
3. Most of the states in our country don’t have all the resources say for example education or a job and so people have to migrate to other states and hence a common language is acceptable. Tamil Nadu on the other hand is self sustainable almost in all regards. People here don’t feel the need to learn a third language.
4. The political leaders from Tamil Nadu, right from C.N Annadurai to Jayalalitha have been using Anti- Hindi movement as a tool to keep their vote bank safe. And hence Hindi has been portrayed as a threat to Tamil as well as Tamilians.

But, the scenario is changing slowly with time. The new generation is much aware of the facts and despite all the differences, now there is a Hindi Prachar Sabha in Tamil Nadu. Hindi has been also introduced as a part of the curriculum in most of the schools now.

“We are not Anti- Hindi. It’s just that it was not in our curriculum.  No one spoke Hindi even in our neighborhood.  Then how are we suppose to learn it? But my son learns Hindi now. And we are happy with the fact that he will be comfortable anywhere in India.”

– Says Srijothi Vijendran (a proud Tamilian mom!)

And finally a note for:

Indians who do not speak Tamil-

Indians who speak Tamil are fantastic people. They know the true meaning of ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’, but you cannot expect your host to learn a new language to host you better.

Indians who can speak Tamil:

Indians who do not speak Tamil have been somehow conveyed that Hindi is our national language as effectively as it is conveyed to the Tamil speakers that it is not. And so they expect everyone in India to know an assumed national language. Please spread awareness instead of being angry when someone asks you to learn Hindi.

Indians who have nothing to do with language, culture or people and are only bothered about votes–

Please stop the age old formula of divide and rule in your very own nation.

Indians…just Indians –

There is no harm in learning or not learning a language. There is harm to fight on this pity issue with an INDIAN. Let’s Rise for India together 🙂

I am happy that the injured, Hindi speaking labor got the right doctor at the right time. The nurse who was unable to understand his language was able to understand his pain much better than me. She helped him towards the x-ray room.

That’s Chennai 🙂

 Note: This post is a part of our #MyCityMyStory series. To check out more posts from this series, please click here.