'If You Don't Know Hindi...': Ashwin Urges People Of Tamil Nadu To Change Their 'Mindset'

'if you don't know hindi...': ashwin urges people of tamil nadu to change their 'mindset'

New Delhi: India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin spoke on the language barrier issue which often leads to a North-South divide as well. Ashwin shared his views on the issue as he admitted that not knowing the language does pose challenge to people from the South. During the launch of his book -- "I Have the Streets: A Kutty Cricket Story," said, "People from Tamil Nadu should be made aware of the difficulties they face. I didn't know much Hindi during childhood."

Though he agreed that people face issues for not knowing the language he urged the people from Tamil Nadu to change their "mindset" over the issue. The ace spinner asked the people to "come to the mindset of 'If you don't know Hindi, it will be difficult if you don't learn it' rather than 'Don't know Hindi with pride."

Ashwin shared his own experience on the issue as he confessed that not knowing Hindi made it difficult for him to feel "included" with the team during his under-17 days.

"When I was in the training camp for the under-17s, I didn't know Hindi only know English and they looked at me like Einstein. It took me 15 years to learn that Einstein would never be included among them," Ashwin said.

"I have written this book so that those who come next will not have to suffer for so many years," he added.

The issue of the Hindi language has remained a focal point in the politics of Tamil Nadu as the state government led by DMK's MK Stalin has always opposed the idea of acknowledging the language at the cost of Tamil.

Both the DMK and the opposition AIADMK, two key parties in the state, advocate for the use of Tamil and English in education and employment. This linguistic stance is deeply rooted in the ideology of the Dravidian movement, with both major Dravidian parties adhering to this principle.

The DMK has consistently opposed the three-language policy outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, affirming their commitment to Tamil Nadu's two-language formula of English and Tamil.

While the state BJP unit supports the policy endorsed by their central leadership, they oppose any imposition of Hindi to align with the sentiments of the state's electorate. DMK leaders emphasise their objection not to Hindi itself, but to its imposition, which they argue undermines state autonomy and federalist principles.