It is a numerical coincidence that the Three Language Formula failed for the third time recently. It was nixed by the Constituent Assembly in 1950; shelved by Nehru in 1963; and now shot down by verbal missiles from TN after Modi’s present regime made a draft proposal.
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Let me start with my now familiar invocation: When Sanskrit itself is being challenged, whither Hindi? Really, compared to Tamil, Hindi is a bachcha. It does not have much of a history, let alone literary history. Still, a brief on that brief history would put the present in perspective.
It is time to move from the politics of history to the history of politics. With a small step in this series I am making a giant leap across 900 years to 20th century.
Why TN is forbidden land! Here are the links to all the articles: Why TN is forbidden…
It is said historians are like the deaf who answer questions not asked. The ‘authoritative’ nationalist history texts in vogue in academia and public domain are largely south-blind and north-centric.
Folklore becomes fact, in the modern mind, only with the emergence of hard evidence. As new findings enabled by cutting-edge science and curious seekers confirm ‘beliefs’, the façade of fiction falls off to be firmed up as history.
I was pretty much certain many holy feathers would be ruffled. Why drag sacred Sanskrit into an unseemly fracas? What is the connection? It is my firm opinion that the contents of the last column, that harp on how Tamil scores…
Let’s begin at the beginning … ‘Thamizh predates sand and stone’ This core dictum is embedded deep in the psyche of the Tamil-speaking population world over.
‘What’s wrong with you people in TN?’: I have been bombarded with this condescending query ever since this State bucked the national trend in the recently-concluded LS polls.