Language as a Barrier to Indian Society

Language as a Barrier to Indian Society

( by Pragya Kumar )

The clock above my head struck 10 o’clock. I turned and looked at it twice. I gulped down the juice and took a big bite of the cheese sandwich. I juggled through the bunch of keys and as usual it took me 5 more minutes to locate them. While chewing the sandwich rapidly I picked up the file, tucked it under my armpit and pulled out my phone to book a cab. “HELLO…ANAA”, I blabbered with little food in my mouth. “HELLO”, he replied. “ANNA I AM STANDING AT THE PAVEMENT OF GOLDEN SQUARE SOCIETY”, I tried to explain him my location. “ENU….”, he replied in his mother tongue. “ ANNA… ENGLISH?”, I inquired. I was agitated and obviously getting late . “ELLE…ENGLISH”, he said instantly. “ANNA…HINDI?”,I asked again. “AAIO…ELLE HINDI. ELLE…ENGLISH”, he yelled from the other side of the phone. For the first time in my life I could feel sense helplessness. In spite of acquiring an educational degree I couldn’t give the person my exact location verbally. 

SAPIR, a famous linguistic described language as, “ a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced symbols.” He precisely uses these terms for humans, but humans in our country are primarily identified from their birthplace, their language and their culture. History is filled with the torture and discrimination of Englishmen over us, but nobody talks about the gift they bestowed upon us unknowingly. The biggest and the most essential gift of Englishmen to the people of India was the language- English language. It not only united us but also made us aware that how divided we stand without it. India is a country where twenty-two languages are spoken. The amount of language an average person can understand is two or maximum three. In place with twenty-two languages how does one expect to understand each other? 

When Mr. AMITABH BACHCHAN captured the big screen singing out the lyrics of “ANGREZI MEI KHETY HAI…” we saw almost two third population of India singing along with him without even understanding the motive behind it. The four-minute song presented a casually used phrase in all languages spoken in the premises, demolishing the barrier of language in the country. We may be a country untied with the zeal of being an Indian, but we stand divided in major senses. And the most explicit one is the language.

I will take this opportunity to mention one of my colleague who was recruited in one of the multinational company based in DELHI. He belonged from a small town of Tamil Nadu. He was an average heighted man who entered the first day of office wearing his traditional attire. He came and sat in the conference hall with twenty new recruits. He was asked to introduce himself. With a typically south Indian accent he introduced himself. As soon as he finished talking the other north Indian recruits judged his blunt introduction and termed him to be a rude person. So the major difference that lines the border is that a north Indian will always judge a south Indian to be a nerd arrogant being whereas a south Indian will always observe them to be outspoken outlandish soul. It is human psychological instinct to judge what we are subjected to without understanding the whole story behind it. These initial judgments are always incorrect, and we repent over it once we get to the person closely. Though this observation may be nullified during the course of time but the first impression always remains stagnant.

Though our country subjects the fact of different languages as an epitome of their culture, but deep down only people of the country can actually understand its nuances. Migrating from one city to other not only subjects us to new culture but also tests our humanity. The lack of understanding of language makes us foreign to the people, their culture and tradition. Though India claims to be the second largest English speaking country in the world, yet 90% of the population is unknown to the language. I hereby remember NELSON MANDELA saying , “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.” Experiencing a similar stance, I still remember walking to the premises of my own college where I was trying hard to impress my English professor by being on time and being attentive in lecture. With the passage of time I realized that she observed me but was never fond of me. This thought was hitting me hard and one day I walked to her when she was standing with other irregular students and enjoying their company. Like a nomad I found a small place in the group. Spending 10 minutes with them I got all my answers. Though those students weren’t as regular as me, but they share the same language with the professor hence they got an eye of her all the time. Hence, language is a major barrier garnishing the norms of Indian society.

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