Editorial, ""Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan!?" in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 15 September 2019, Vol. 15, Pt. 2, No. 17 issue:

HINDU, HINDI, HINDUSTAN!?

 

May be our Union Home Minister really had the penchant to chant this slogan at a recent celebration of the Hindi Diwas but stopped short to only stress the primacy of Hindi as the national language. This had/has become a disease for many of the North Indian politicians – late Gandhi, Patel, Lohia et al included – to try impose Hindustani/Hindi as the sole national language of a multi-national country like India which still has many ancient and living languages to boast of; and Hindi is certainly not an ancient one; it is just a hybrid of Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit and regional Khadiboli languages/dialects of North India just as Urdu is, with a more recent origin than Urdu. Nor Hindi can boast of any advanced scientific and technical linguistic improvements which can attract educated people all over India to its fold – Tamil and Bengali are more advanced in this sphere. The mere fact that it is the most widely spoken language in India, and our national movement ever since the days when Gandhi took its helm in the main has also sanctified and adopted it, does not make it fully qualified for the post of the sole national language in India. We have witnessed violent and justified people’s movements, especially in the South, against measures to forcibly impose it. None would be too pleased than this editor if we Indians are to shun over-dependence on English and transact our affairs mainly in our own language – but there are several mother tongues for several national and sub-national entities in our country and each linguistic group would like to develop and promote its own language. So, a healthy competition between the various nationalities and entities to develop their own languages, if possible improve their mother tongues in consonance with the latest scientific, technological developments and transact in them is quite welcome; but that does not in any way derogate the necessity and importance of English either. Still it is constitutionally recognized and declared as one of the official languages, mandated as the language for constitutional courts and generally accepted by the educated public all over India. It can no longer be derogated as a foreign language as it is reported that after Hindi it is the most widely spoken language in India and the North East seems to have adopted it as the main language. So, let us better declare English too as a national language and make it the sole official language of India without any past prejudices coming in the way and at the same time develop Hindi and other regional languages to the maximum extent possible in their respective regions. This change will also very much simplify, improve and economize, even federalize, the administration of governments/systems all over India. §§§

Editorial , "INDIAN ECONOMY TOWARD RECESSION?" in LAW ANIMATED WORLD, 31 August 2019 issue, Vol. 15, Part 2, No. 16

INDIAN ECONOMY TOWARD RECESSION?

It is quite a worrying prospect though; but certainly there has been a serious economic slowdown. Also, many scholars opine that the much proclaimed near-7% annual growth rate in GDP during the last 5-year term is an eyewash, it could not be more than 5-6%, certainly a considerable decline from the previous rule under Dr. Manmohan Singh, who also feels demonetization and hasty steps of GST are two prominent factors for this sluggishness. The havoc caused by demonetization so arbitrarily brought about by the Prime Minister Modi is indicated as a chief cause by many, who say it only enabled colluding corporate crooks to enormously profit. The phenomenal growth of Paytm, Jio, etc. are shown as examples, as also the later instance of Anil Ambani brokering the Rafale Jet planes purchase deal for Modi, though nobody is questioning the enormous, ever-escalating defence spending in India, exacerbated by the fanatic, belligerent policies of the government. Well, lesser GDP growth rates may themselves not indicate recession as the above graphs pertaining to developed countries show, but continuous shrinkage over 2-3 quarters does so. Certainly from the last two quarters GDP growth has considerably slowed down and manufacturing sector suffered most – which is no good. Economists like Madan Sabnavis are optimistic that the coming months – Hindu festival seasons and good monsoon aiding – may avert recessionary trends though certainly there is an undesirable slowdown. Nitin Bhatia is more vocal in censure: “I still remember golden period of late 80’s or early 90’s, when life was so simple ……No Internet, No Satellite TV, No Mobile & Our economy was also very simple … totally & purely dependent on monsoon. ......reason being it was totally dependent on agriculture sector for GDP growth as contribution of Service and Manufacturing was comparatively Low…. In 1992 our foreign exchange dried up and Gold reserves were dispatched to England to save the economy…. In 1992, India’s Fiscal deficit reached 8% of GDP and India became bankrupt. Today India’s Fiscal Deficit is touching 6% therefore if situation in not brought under control soon then our generation will face the worst recession so far.” Even Subramanian Swamy (BJP) is not happy about the performance of the Modi Government in the economic sphere and the haphazard moves of the government to counter by merger of public sector banks etc., which he warns may be a diversion of efforts and counter-productive. May be Niranjan Rajyadhyaksha (Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics) rightly points out the one ‘brutal fact’: “If the Indian economy continues to lose momentum over the next two quarters, then the country will be in its longest growth recession in a decade.” §§§