Scenario: Mr. Iyer and Mr. Sharma get into a conversation along with the team members. Suddenly Mr. Sharma asks something in Hindi (his mother tongue) and Mr. Iyer responds to it in Hindi and subsequently the whole meeting takes place in Hindi. Any team member who didn't know Hindi feels lost in jungle. After the meeting, the team disperses and Mr. Iyer and Mr. Saravanan continues with the discussion while walking to the pantry.... the conversation still continues in Hindi. Just by observing this scenario we can conclude that not speaking in one's mother tongue is always a cool thing for South Indians and if the communicating language is in Hindi you think that you are "omnipotential" to get things done in India. A sheer inferiority complex of South Indians...!
You ask a South Indian "Why do you want to learn Hindi?"
The answer will be "It will be helpful when you go to North India".
"Why can't we survive with English that is being taught in school since LKG?"
The expected reply is "North Indians will not reply in English"
So we tend to accept the aggressiveness of North Indians to speak in their mother tongue predominantly.
After coming in IT I have observed that a team consists of people from multiple states, so there is a need of a common communicating language. By and large English served that purpose but with the entry of North Indian employees, the infiltration of ""Hindi" started.
Out of a team of 12, even if 1 or 2 members are from North India, then the whole team switches to Hindi. Sometimes even the communication between Tamil members happens in Hindi.
The North Indians start ridiculing team members who doesn't know Hindi, conveniently hiding the fact that they don't want to switch to language other than their mother tongue. Either knowingly or unknowingly, inferiority complex led "Hindi literate" members start criticizing the political parties which had "deprived" the Tamil people of the Hindi education cutting a sorry figure. In a way I can accept the Hindi (non-English) communication between a South & North Indian associate but I feel it is a shame when Tamil associates communicate in Hindi among themselves.
There had been instances where certain team members are dropped on the grounds of "Hindi illiteracy".
I am not a language chauvanist who don't know any other than the mother tongue, trying to cover up my "extra language illiteracy", especially Hindi - the focus of this post. I took initiatives on my own to find out the Hindi teacher in my small town when I was in my 7th standard and completed the 8 exams by the time I reached 11th Standard. Similarly malayalam was also added in my language list out of own interest and my malayalee friends acknowledge that I speak a good malayalam.
Choosing the language of communication is one's discretion / personal choice and I don't argue on that. But I can't withstand the inferiority complex of South Indians who feel ashamed to talk in their mother tongue even in the seclusion and the "over bearing" attitude of North Indians. Atleast as a sign of protest of such attitudes I reply to all their queries (even in Hindi) only in English.
When North Indians say that Chennai is not "Hindi" friendly, I retort "Why a Chennai must be Hindi friendly? When you go any new place you must try to learn or adapt the local language / culture. If you don't do that, the mistake is on your side. Instead don't try to blame or belittle any city/people who doesn't know Hindi". Sometimes I'll be replied that "Hindi is the national language". I used to cite the judgement rendered by the Supreme Court that "In no section / code in the Indian Constitution, it is mentioned that Hindi is the National lagunage by law". If anybody wants to learn Hindi, it is out of their own interest or convenience. I don't want to fall back or hide behind the political Dravidian principles.
I had learnt Hindi only not to feel lost among the North India crowd, enjoy the Hindi movies but certainly not to pander the ego / arrogance of the North Indians who belittle others for the "Hindi Illiteracy" and doesn't have the inclination to learn other cultures. So I don't mind showing my closed fist with only the middle finger up and say "Mujhe Hindi nahin maalum".
