A new controversy has erupted in Tamil Nadu over the language issue. While the rest of the country is occupied with the mob lynching related to recitation of “Jai Sree Ram” and stealing of cows, the Dravidian politicians are fighting each other over the portrayal of Sanskrit as the oldest language in a Plus Two text book.
The English text book being taught in Class XII under the Tamil Nadu State Government Syllabus scheme mentions that Sanskrit is 4,000 years old while Tamil was 2300 years old. The DMK, which sees red in everything associated with Hindi and Sanskrit was the first to set fire to the issue with the intention of putting the ruling AIADMK in the backfoot.
“Why an error like this glorifying Sanskrit has cropped in the text book?. Isnt this an attempt to belittle Tamil,” said M K Stalin , president, DMK, who is also the Leader of the Opposition. The “mistake” has made it to the election campaign in the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency which goes to the poll on August 5.
KA Sengotaiyyan, Minister for School Education, has said that action would be taken against the officials responsible for the “error”. He said in a statement that all teachers have been instructed to convince the students that what was publusged in the text book was wrong. “Everyone knows and respects the history of Tamil as the oldest language and the government will ensure such errors do not happen in the future,” said the minister.
But Dr M Rajeev Kumar, an authority on South Indian languages who is also a leading literary critic, said that there was no ambiguity regarding which is the oldest language. “ Sanskrit is the oldest language and there is no doubt about it. We should not mislead the young generation because of this blind passion for one’s language?,” said Dr Rajeev Kumar.
Sandeep Balakrishna, chief editor, Dharma Dispatch, an authority on Dravidian studies , said Sanskrit was the oldest language nd the controversy was all because of regionalism.
The DMK is in the forefront of all agitations against Hindi and Sanskrit as the party is of the view that the efforts to promote the two languages was an attempt by the Sangh Parivar (read the BJP) to saffronise India.