SSB GD Series: Should India Have A National Language?

India is a land of diversity. Unlike other countries in the world, this country is not bounded by religion. We find people belonging to various religions, tribes and castes living together in peace and harmony. Some speak hindi or punajabi , malyalam or Marathi while other speak Tamil, Telgu , Kannad, Assamese. India has 22 official languages while the number of mother tongues spoken in the country is 1652, such is the diversity of the country and this is what makes it beautiful and unique. 

Language is something which is bound to the person through his genes. The place a person is born, the people among whom he had been brought up decides the language that person would speak. In Bangalore or in any other metro city one might see people belonging to different parts of the country living, they may speak in English or Hindi but when it comes to calling their loved ones at night after work, they switch to their own mother tongue. They love what they have learned in their beginning years of life and prefer not to change it.

Today as the world is becoming more competitive a question which is common among the masses is that should India have one common language a common national language? When seen in business terms this might seem beneficial but when it comes to cultural values this might seem not such a good idea. From the business point of view if people will speak one common language it would benefit sales and would boost business growth. People would be able to speak in a common language, there won’t be any unnecessary delays understanding the requirements of what the client wants, the productivity would increase and so will be the efficiency.

However looking from the cultural aspect speaking a common language would make things very boring and common. There won’t be anything which would be different. This might have worked in Countries like France or America or Spain but then these countries don’t have people belonging to different religions living together, they don’t have so much diversity. India is a different country and this difference from other countries is what makes is beautiful.

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In my opinion the cultural aspect of the country is not something with which we should play. Everyone has his or her upbringing in a different place and in a different way and hence the variety of languages. Speaking a common language would take away that from us. We should not be so blind in this race to compete that we change what has been for ages. People of various religions have every right to speak in their own mother tongue. As the world says “India, the land of diversity”, we must realize that to retain that tag we should and must not force a common language upon the people of this country.

These were my views on this topic. What do you think can be a feasible solution of having a national language or the picture should continue as it is right now. Post in the comment section and lets have a GD here where we will be able to get different views of people. Share the article with your friends as well as we keep on posting the latest GD/ Lecturette topics along with all the information needed for the SSB. Follow us and subscribe for email notification from the link given in the right side of the article.

About the Author: Shekhar Tanwar is a computer science engineer who is working with a renowned MNC and is a die heart defense aspirant. Guitar is his passion and he is very firm believer of physical fitness. This article is a way to help defense aspirants to present his critical views on the topic, on the forum so that collective exchange of thoughts can take place.