I claim Sir, to come from a country, a part in India now, but which I think is of a different stock, not necessarily antagonistic. I belong to the Dravidian stock. I am proud to call myself a Dravidian. That does not mean that I am against a Bengali or a Maharashtrian or a Gujarati. As Robert Burns has stated, ‘A man is a man for all that’. I say that I belong to the Dravidian stock and that is only because I consider that the Dravidians have got something concrete, something distinct, something different to offer to the nation at large. Therefore, it is that we want self-determination.” - Excerpts from Anna’s maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha in April 1962.
Hindi imperialism will not integrate India: Anna
“We find all-round frustration in the country. The labourers are frustrated. The farm hands are frustrated. The middle classes are frustrated. Certainly so are the Backward classes frustrated. Now a committee is touring the country and they have issued a statement to the press that in certain parts of our country, even today, the Scheduled Caste people cannot go unmolested on certain streets in certain villages.
Our Government servants are frustrated. Whenever a dearness allowance is announced, it is preceded by a price rise. There is a sort of race between the price rise and the dearness allowance, and they are frustrated. Our Scientists are frustrated; they would like to go back to the country where they have learnt. Our technicians are frustrated. They think that they are not being given their due place in the industrial sphere. And may I add, Madam Deputy Chairman, we non-Hindi people are frustrated.
My friend who opened the Motion, said though he is a non-Hindi man, he would dare to speak in Hindi. That shows the mentality of non-Hindi people. Now, for a non-Hindi man to speak in Hindi before an audience mostly composed of Hindi knowing people, one should dare, because he knows that it is not his language. Hindi knowing people, people whose mother tongue is Hindi can find fault with the style or structure.
Let me tell this house Madam Deputy Chairman, and through you to this Government, that the anti-Hindi agitations have not completely died down in Tamil Nadu. Those who are engaged in the anti-Hindi agitation, especially students, when they found that this country was confronted by foreign aggression, suspended the agitation, not because they were satisfied with the policies and programmes of this Government. It was because they thought that they should give first priority to safeguarding the country.
It is only recently that the anti-Hindi students’ conference took place in Madras. Here they have stated very definitely, that they are not satisfied with the present language policy. Wherever this language issue arises, I find good advice given, friendly suggestions made and comradely consultations taking place. People ask me and men of my persuasion “Why don’t you learn Hindi?.” Why should you be against any one language.?” But I would point out to this House, Madam Deputy Chairman, through you, that the apprehension in the minds of nonHindi speaking people, especially the people of Tamil Nadu are based on genuine facts.
It is not misapprehensions; it is an apprehension strengthened by some of the hectic activities that are, from day to day taking place in the Government of India. Therefore, there is no use saying that they are merely misapprehensions, that they were not real apprehensions. We apprehend that there is a move to create a sort of linguistic ascendency or a linguistic hegemony, or a Hindi imperialism in this country. That is not going to take place in the south, if I say so, Bengal too, is not going to allow any kind of linguistic imperialism to succeed in this country of ours. If what you mean by national integration is sincere and serious, please do not think that you can integrate the country only by language. Did you speak in Hindi to me asking me to support the Government of India against foreign aggression.? No. Was it because I went through Hindi journals that I found out there was a real danger in the eastern and western sectors.? Not at all.
Excerpts of the speech made by Anna in the Rajya Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in February 1966.
