Language controversy in Punjab which, during 1950s everyone thought had been settled with the Regional formula was again revived by the Arya Samaj who, in 1957 formed Hindi Raksha amity and launched a so-called Satyagraha in the Punjab. The background to controversy as briefly as follows:

Before Partition of Punjab in 1947 the language for the transaction of business of the State at higher levels used to be English and at the lower levels Urdu and the same thing was reflected in the educational system of the State Whatever progress Punjabi and Hindi made in the production of literature was the result of voluntary efforts whose main springs were religious and cultural Punjabi was spoken throughout the Punjab excepting the Haryana tract  (roughly comprising of Gurgaon, Rohtak, Hissar and Kamal Districts) and was written mostly in Gurumukhi or Persian scripts. Devnagari script was used by a very small minority after independence Urdu as an official language and Persian script for Punjabi were discarded and the Punjabi-Hindi controversy came into forefront. This was however attempted to be settled through the Sachar Formula the essence of which was a follows:

i) That Punjabi shall mean Punjabi in Gurmukhi script and Hindi in Devnagari script:

ii) That Punjabi shall be the medium of instruction in the Punjabi speaking area (to be determined by the provincial Government all schools up to the matriculation stage and Hindi shall be taught as compulsory language from the last class of the Primary Department and up to the Matriculation state;

iii) where parent or guardian of, the pupil in the Punjabi-speaking area) may wish him to get and not the regional language (Punjabi in Gurmukhi script) is his mother tongue… arrangements will be made for instruction in the Hindi during the primary stage (up to the 3rd primary class), provided there are no less than 40 pupils in the hole school wishing to be instructed in Hindi, or ten such pupils in each cases, but the regional language shall be taught as a compulsory language from the fourth class;

iv) In the secondary stage also the medium of instruction for those pupils will be Hind, provided one third of the total number of pupils in a Government, Municipal or a District Board (or a recognized aided) school request for instruction in Hindi.

The regional language would, however, be a compulsory subject throughout the secondary state.

The above provisions apply to the Hindi-speaking area also if the word Hindi is substituted for Punjabi.

After the formation of PEPSU region in 1949, Punjabi in Gurmukhi script was both the official language of the State and the medium of instruction in schools. However the Arya Samaj and in PEPSU continued with Hindi as the medium of instruction   the cost of losing Government id,

After partition the Akali Party having the support of the majority of the Sikh Community wanted a Punjabi Suba i., the boundaries of the State to be redrawn leaving out the Hindi-speaking area of Haryana tact. A certain section Of the Hindus through the Arya Samaj, Hindu Mahasabha and Jan Sangh formed a Maha Punjab Samity and demanded a bigger Punjabi including the post-partition Punjab, PEPSU and Himachal Pradesh. The States Re-organizations recommended the for ration of a bigger Punjab as per the demand of the Maha Punjab Samiti. The president of commission however submitted a note of dissent hereby he did not agree to the inclusion of Himachal reddish in the New Punjab this matter was then put before the public and a fire hectic discussions and consultations both in the Punjab and at New Delhi, the Regional formula was evolved and accepted by all parties concerned, with the exception of the Jan Samaj. The essence of this Formula is as follows:-

i). Punjab would be divided into the Punjabi-speaking zone and the Hindi-speaking zone; this to be done in consultation with the State Government and other interests concerned. There will be two regional committees to advise the Government on matters relating to each Region.

a) that the Punjab State will be bilingual recognizing both Punjabi (in Gurmukhi script) and Hindi (in Devnagari script) as the official Languages of the State.

b) that the official language of the each region will at the district level and below, be the respective regional language and

c) that the Sachar Formula will continue to operate in the area comprising the existing pre reorganized Punjab State, and in the area now comprised in the PEPSU State, the existing arrangements will continue until they are replaced or altered by agreement later. Although the Sachar Formula had not been enforced rigidly in the Punjab, the Regional Formula had been enforced by the Punjab Government since late 1956, The Arya Samajists however look exception to some of the principles of the Regional Formula in as much as it affected the Hindi language and have stared the agitation on the pretext that they were never party to the Regional Formula.

VIEWS OF THE PROTAGO. NISTS OF PUNJABI LAN: GUAGE.

The protagonists of the Punjabi language argued as follows:-

i) Punjabi has been accepted a cone of the 14 Regional Language of India by the Constitution to India whereas Hindi, besides being accepted as the Regional language in a few of the Sates, will also be the official language of the Union, Relative clause (I) of Articles 343 of the constitution which related to Hindi was enacted as follows:-

“The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devnagari script.”

“The word official was deliberately used for national. The constitution laid down that Hindi will become the official language of the Indian Union after 15 years (from 1950 or earlier to be decided by the President. This would mean that Hindi would be used by all Union government Officers and for inter-State correspondence. Although it is the broad policies of the Indian Government to replace English with Hindi in due course stall levels of administration, this does not mean that Hindi will replace the regional languages. Only two of the States in India e Punjab and the then Bombay Presidency were bilingual and the rest all unilingual. The regional languages re supreme in the unilingual States not only up to the district lively but up to higher level also. Why should Punjab into enjoy that status even in the Punjabi zone? The opposition to this does not rest on fair play and equity. There was no danger to Hindi which is the official language of the country. In fact everyone in Punjabi will know Hindi which cannot be said of many other states in India, Therefore, the Arya Samajs tension was to stifle the growth for Punjabi even in the Punjabi region.

ii), Punjab had been, under the Sachar Formula accepted to be a bilingual State  has a Punjabi speaking and Hindi-speaking region, The Sikhs led by the Akali Party wanted to have a Punjabi speaking State only, whereas a section of the Hindus preferred Maha Punjab. The Regional Formula was therefore a compromise and in fact the only possible solution, The fact that in the 1957 General Elections the Congress party had been returned to power by an overwhelming majority and the Regional Formula was the main controversial point between the main controversial point between the different political parties, conclusively proves that the electorate have endorse the Regional formula. It should therefore be seven a fair trial,

iii) The Sachar Formula was a compromise and was bound to have opposition from the extremists of both groups. In spite of what Hindi-speaking people may say, if Hindis to be retained as the official language of the Union everybody will be forced to learn it. How then can any objection be taken to the learning of Punjabi by the resident of Punjabi? It was a bilingual State and everyone must learn both the languages.

iv). When Punjabi language in the Gurmukhi script has been given an honored place in the Constitution as a regional language and in fact this language is generally written in Devnagari script  the reason for advocating Devnagari script is that the religious scriptures of the Sikhs are in Gurmukhi script then this is not at all tenable,

If “Save Hindi agitation succeeds it would not only create a serious situation in the Punjab but would revive the fears of all non-Hindi speaking people in India (Particularly) who were originally opposed to accepting Hindi as the lingua franca,

DEMANDS OF THE HINDI RAKSHA SAMITL

The Samiti made the following demands:-

i) There should be one language formula for the whole of New Punjab i.e the arrangement in PEPSU should be the same as in the rest of the Punjab.

ii) The medium of instruction should be left entirely to the choice of parents and there should be left entirely to the choice of parents and here should be no compulsion in this matter.

iii) There should be no compulsion for the teaching of any of the two languages and as a second language at any particular stage.

iv) Hindi should replace English at all levels of administration

v) All government notifications at the district level and below should be bilingual.

vi) Applications should be allowed to be submitted in any language and the reply should also be in the same language.

vii) Office records up to the dis twit level and below should be in both the scripts The Arya Samaj did not accept the Sachar formula which they contended was not endorsed by the then Punjab Legislative Assembly and the Punjab Legislative Council. It was a high level decision arrived at between Shri Bhim Sen. Sachar, the then Punjab Congress Leader in collaboration with Giyani Kartar Singh, the Akali Leader, which was accepted by the Congress High Command and implemented through the Regional formula. The Regional Formula was enforced towards late 1956 and the Arya Samajists felt greatly upset when it dawned upon them that the Punjab Government had issued directives to all concerned to implement, both in letter and spirit, the provisions of the Formula. They felt that this was exploited as an effective tool to force the Punjabi language down the throat of unwilling persons. The moderating clause whereby the medium of instruction in Primary Schools within the Punjabi region could be Hindi provided there is minimum number of students had been found inoperative for various practical difficulties. “The Arya Samaj said that they do not wish to scrap the Regional Formula and their agitation was not political; that they were only worried about the language part of it, Hindi should take the place of English and Punjabi should take the place of Urdu up to the district administration level, Every Officer should free to record his nothings, pass his judgments or make his orders on any file in any of the two languages he pleases. In the Punjabi region, Hindi and Punjabi should be placed on an equal footing and once the elements of coercions removed even the Hindus Will study Punjabi as the knowledge of this language would be necessary for joining Government service.

The Arya Samaj was also unhappy over the continuance of the existing arrangement in PEPSU i.e. The Peps u Formula as aid down by the Regional formula. They felt that, in terms of the Reformal Scheme the exemptions from compulsory study of Gurmukhi enjoyed by the Institutions of Arya Samaj and Sanatan Dharam Sabha should have been permitted 10 continue in fact until would be altered by agreement with the management of the Institutions concerned and other parties. These Institutions, they contended, had been compelled to surrender their exemptions and switched on to Gurmukhi immediately. As a result, numerous Hindu teachers have been replaced by Sikh instructors which were not a fact.

Although the Arya Samaj did not demand Devnagari script for Punjabi in their agitation, this was known to be their confirmed intend. They argued that before Partition Punjabi language was written in Persian, Gurmukhi and Devnagari scripts and that Punjabi in Gurmukhi script cannot be compared to other regional languages such as Bengali, Tamil or Telugu. Gurmukhi script has been associated with the Sikh Community and as such it would injure the sentiments of the Arya Samajists to adopt it. The controversy in the Punjab is therefore basically one of scripts only, with, communal virus injected by the Arya Samaj.

The then Punjab and Union Governments stand on this issue was embodied in the letter addressed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to Swami Atman and, director of the Samit published in the Tribune dated 24 June 1957. We reproduce below the point by point reply given by before the Chief Minister. Your first point was that there should before language formula for the whole State of New Punjab. This appears prima face reasonable. But there are many reasonable, But there are many reasonable things which actually may not be wise or opportune at a particular time, gradually thing can be changed. The arrangements in the old. PEPSU State functioned for a considerable time without any: controversy. Why should there be any controversy at this stage when all our activities have to be diverted to nation-building?

Your second point was that the medium of instruction should be left entirely to the choice of parents. This is so, according to the Sachar formula or to present regional formula. So in this matter there is no difference,

Your third point was that there: should be no compulsion for the teaching of any of the two languages and as a second language at any particular stage. I have dealt with this matter at some length earlier in this letter. So far as the teaching of a second language is concerned, it seems to me essential to have such a language not only in the Punjab but in every other State of India. As for the particular stage when the second Language should be started there is unalterable decision about that.  It is essentially an educational matter to be decided in consultation with the educationists.

Your fourth point was that Hindi should replace English at all levels of administration. This has nothing to do with the regional formula. It is in fact our broad policy allover India and of course also in the Punjab. But the question is of feasibility and how soon this can be done without doing injury to the cause of educational and mental growth. It is patent today that all the modem thought in science, technology and so many other subjects is countrified in foreign languages. We have not got enough literature even in translations and much less is original form, in our own languages. This will no doubt grow; anyhow, there is no dispute about this point.

Your fifth point was that all Government notifications at the District level and below should be bilingual. This has already been agreed to your sixth point was that applications should be allowed to be submitted in any language and the reply should also be in the same language. This was also agreed to, In fact that is the generate policy we follow even in Delhi.

Your seventh point was that office records up to the district level and below should be in this. But from a practical point of view, this means adding greatly to the Labour in office and no particular useful purpose would be served by it. It should be provided that any record would be given in any language or script without extra payment. Further, statements should be recorded in any language or script.”

The Satyagraha which was Launched on 10 June 1957 continued in spite of Nehru’s letter to Swami Atman and, it was in the shape of Jathas or a group of volunteers coming from various part of the Punjab and squatting, before the secretarial at Chandigarh, The Satyagra his did not remain entirely peaceful and some unfortunate incidents has  taken place but the police attitude  on the whole had been one of restrain, The entire proceedings were being recorded photographically by the Government so that they could just their actions should the occasion arise at a later date.

Initially, the agitation was started by the Arya Samajists on a purely religious and cultural basis but the issue was supported by the Jan Sang and the Hindu Maha Sabha and acquired apolitical tinge-The Akali party on the other hand remained watchful of the situation, ready to launch a stronger counter agitation with the object of attaining a purely Punjabi speaking State.

(The Sikh Review)

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Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1992