Does Hindi have a future?

February 24th, 2008 • Related • Filed Under

Does Hindi have a future?

Film journalist Ajay Brahmatmaj is in the line of fire of many Hindi fanatics. Not for his weekly film reviews in the Hindi daily Dainik Jagran but for the unpardonable crime of writing Hindi in the Roman script for the blog passionforcinema.com. Despite the avalanche of criticism, Brahmatmaj says he will not amend his style as that’s the only way he can reach a large audience.

He is only reminding us of an unkind truth. An unsettling reality of metros and towns of India is that Hindi is slowly becoming an alien language. People speak it. People understand it. But the Hindi vocabulary of city-bred, convent-educated youth is astonishingly poor.

At the academia, Hindi is not the preferred subject of specialisation anymore. “Till the 1990s, we had nearly 400 students in the Master’s course at the Mumbai University. Now the number has dwindled to half,” says Ramji Tiwari, a former Hindi teacher at the university. “Earlier, students would take pride in their rashtra bhasha. Now learning the national language is no longer a matter of pride.”

Hindi’s decline is reflected not just in educational institutions. Trends in other cultural arenas, too, are not encouraging. The language is ailing even in the film industry, once the repository of Hindi’s rich traditions. It used to shelter writers like Pradeep, Shailendra, Indivar, and Neeraj. But new talent is simply not coming. In the place of the great poets of yore is now someone called Sameer.

Recently, Brahmatmaj asked actor Soha Ali Khan whether she speaks Hindi at all when she is not mouthing dialogues on the sets. “Yes, I talk to my driver, dhobi and liftman regularly,” she said.
Soha is not alone. The dream merchants who used to lure many non-Hindi speakers with their lilting music, lovely lyrics and powerful dialogues have now been replaced by ordinary talent. Somehow, Hindi does not have literary giants anymore. And that’s unusual for any language.

“Now they don’t need soulful poetry and literature-based stories in Hindi films. Only manipulators, not literary persons, can survive there,” says poet-lyricist Neeraj from his Aligarh home. Neeraj, who liberally infused highbrow Hindi words in his songs yet turned them immensely popular, fled the industry in the late 1980s. He realised he did not belong there anymore. Now, things are far worse.

When Neeraj and his peers penned their songs, most of India eventually hummed them. Today, hardly any writer can claim to pull the crowds into theatres solely on the power of the pen. “A mediocre writer is the busiest bard of Bollywood today. He might be doing two dozen films in a year, but his songs are eminently forgettable. What’s Hindi about today’s Hindi cinema?” says scholar Rajam Pillai. “When was the last time a film was based on a great Hindi novel?”
Vijay Akela has compiled some of the most popular songs of lyricists, Anand Bakshi and Janisar Akhtar, in two volumes. Akela has also written songs for Hrithik Roshan’s Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (KNPH) and Koi Mil Gaya. He recalls an incident from the recording studio of KNPH’s songs. Singer Lucky Ali mistook the word aas (hope) for ‘ass’ and almost recorded it the asinine way.

“It was tough to explain to him the difference between aas and ass because, probably, he had never heard of aas,” says Akela. Clearly, Hindi has stopped inspiring film writers. Popular poets like Javed Akhtar and Gulzar are increasingly, and sometimes unnecessarily, embellishing their songs with English words. Remember Gulzar’s Kajra Re? Ankhein bhi kamal karti hain/Personal se sawal karti hain (Eyes do wonders/They ask personal questions). Even from the greats, literary gems are hard to come by these days.

The champions of the language point to the increasing readership of Hindi newspapers as proof of the language’s popularity. “Hindi newspapers are selling well in north India because of an increasing literacy rate. English is still just the language of the elite. But it’s not because the masses love Hindi,” says a senior Hindi journalist who requested anonymity. The masses have no choice but to buy Hindi newspapers. The real love for a language is reflected not in newspaper habits but in book sales, and by that count the literary future of Hindi is gloomy.

Hindi newspapers too are experimenting with English. In towns like Kanpur and Lucknow, the Dainik Jagran group has launched I-Next, a bilingual tabloid which is gaining popularity because of the liberal use of English words. Sample this: Tumko aana compulsory hai. Mere dinner ka time ho gaya hai. “This is how you kill the soul of a language. Hindiwallahs need not be ashamed of their language,” says Ramji Tiwari.

Despite the bleak scenario of Hindi, some optimists feel that the language is not in decline. “Hindi is being used increasingly in the boardrooms and on the streets,” says Prasoon Joshi, adman and poet. “Yes, Sanskritised Hindi of Doordarshan is dying and it should die,” he says.

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There Are 3 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by v9y on 27 February 2008:

    The article is wrong on so many counts that I don’t even want to respond to it. But I am furious because it is a malicious article. The intent is all too clear. Biased would be a mild word for it; it is more like a conspiracy against the growth of Hindi. Wajihuddin Saahab seems to have reached (or may have been told to reach by the higher powers) the conclusion already. He is merely trying to justify that somehow with half-baked hypothesis and incorrect data. But he fails miserably. Let’s see his arguments one by one.

    At the academia, Hindi is not the preferred subject of specialisation anymore. “Till the 1990s, we had nearly 400 students in the Master’s course at the Mumbai University. Now the number has dwindled to half,” says Ramji Tiwari, a former Hindi teacher at the university. “Earlier, students would take pride in their rashtra bhasha. Now learning the national language is no longer a matter of pride.”

    First of all, knowing the language of one’s surroundings should be less a matter of pride than a mere natural phenomenon. In fact not knowing it is being illiterate. Secondly, Mumbai University’s data cannot be extrapolated to conclude that it’s happening everywhere. The situation is actually the contrary. How would he explain new Hindi related courses being added in Universities all around the world. I am not sure if he reads even his own newspaper because he surely seems to have missed this one: DU to offer MA in Hindi journalism (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Education/DU_to_offer_MA_in_Hindi_journalism/articleshow/2077942.cms)

    Here’s another one to open his eyes: Hindi the bestseller at Delhi University (http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/03/stories/2007070358250300.htm)

    The language is ailing even in the film industry, once the repository of Hindi’s rich traditions. It used to shelter writers like Pradeep, Shailendra, Indivar, and Neeraj. But new talent is simply not coming. In the place of the great poets of yore is now someone called Sameer.

    He cannot be more wrong on this one. But what can you expect from someone who doesn’t see beyond Sameer. If there was any time after 60s that the Hindi film lyric writing was this good, it is now. Here are some names - Prasoon Joshi (I wonder how he missed him since he is quoted below), Swanand Kirkire, Sayeed Quadri, Jaideep Sahni, Piyush Mishra. All of these are writing excellent stuff. If that’s not new promising talent, I don’t know what is.

    Another ignorant rant:

    Somehow, Hindi does not have literary giants anymore. And that’s unusual for any language.

    I doubt if he even reads anything in Hindi. Hindi does not have literature or literary giants anymore? Heard of Kashinath Singh, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Srilal Shukla, Rajendra Yadav, Kedarnath Singh, Manglesh Dabral, Leeladhar Jagoodi? Though Hindi literature is much more varied and way beyond these names, it does have its superstars, if you are only interested in that.

    And here comes a gem:

    Singer Lucky Ali mistook the word aas (hope) for ‘ass’ and almost recorded it the asinine way. “It was tough to explain to him the difference between aas and ass because, probably, he had never heard of aas,” says Akela. Clearly, Hindi has stopped inspiring film writers.

    And how does that episode exactly tells you that “Hindi has stopped inspiring film writers” and that too “clearly”? Come on, Mr.Wajihuddin. You may want to enroll for a course in reasoning. Tell you what, enroll for the Hindi journalism course. Thinking and writing in the language you speak may help.

    Another gem:

    The masses have no choice but to buy Hindi newspapers. The real love for a language is reflected not in newspaper habits but in book sales, and by that count the literary future of Hindi is gloomy.

    Are you kidding? Where do you come up with sentences like “The masses have no choice but to buy Hindi newspapers.” I mean who is forcing the masses to do so? I doubt it’s the Shiv Sena.

    Despite the bleak scenario of Hindi, some optimists feel that the language is not in decline. “Hindi is being used increasingly in the boardrooms and on the streets,” says Prasoon Joshi, adman and poet. “Yes, Sanskritised Hindi of Doordarshan is dying and it should die,” he says.

    What optimists? You only need to be a realist to see that Hindi is not dying; it is evolving like every other surviving language. It is borrowing words from languages that it comes in contact with - be it English or other Indian languages. It is a naturally absorbing language. It did so earlier with Arabic-Persian words. Did it not remain Hindi anymore? It will probably borrow a lot from English now. And it will still remain Hindi - understood and spoken by most of India. Every surviving language does that. Prasoon Joshi knows more about the boardrooms than you do. And you either believe him or show us some real data, not your opinions. I for one am not interested in what you think.

    wuff..

  2. Comment by Rohit Kumar 'Happy' on 29 April 2008:

    “Recently, Brahmatmaj asked actor Soha Ali Khan whether she speaks Hindi at all when she is not mouthing dialogues on the sets. “Yes, I talk to my driver, dhobi and liftman regularly,” she said.”

    वाह, क्या कहने हैं सोहा के! यदि उनकी अँग्रेजी ज्यादा ही अच्छी है तो हॉलिवुड ही क्यों नहीं चली जाती! फिर उन्हें अपने ड्राइवर, धोबी और लिफ्टमैन से हिंदी बोलने की जहमत भी नहीं उठानी पड़ेगी, दिल भर कर अँग्रेजी बोलिए!

    सोहा से सवाल करने वाला पत्रकार भी कोई दीन-हीन जान पड़ता है जो उक्त प्रश्न दाग दिया? वैसे इस प्रश्न का ध्येय क्या था? हिंदी को बेचारी बनाना! सोहा या लक्की अली कोई पैमाना नहीं हैं। क्षमा करना, वैसे ये सोहा और लक्की अली हैं कौन? हा! हा!! हा!!!

    And:
    Singer Lucky Ali mistook the word aas (hope) for ‘ass’ and almost recorded it the asinine way. “It was tough to explain to him the difference between aas and ass because, probably, he had never heard of aas,” says Akela. Clearly, Hindi has stopped inspiring film writers.

    भईया, लक्की अली को यदि आस और Ass में फर्क नहीं पता तो वो भी सोहा वाले क्लब में दाखिला ले लें। जब हिंदी का खा रहे हैं तो एक-दो शब्दकोश यानि डिक्शनरी खरीद लें। ये एक्टर लोग हैं ऐसे-ऐसे ब्यान न दें तो सुर्खियों में कैसे रहेंगे!

    And: Somehow, Hindi does not have literary giants anymore. And that’s unusual for any language.

    अब आपके आँख मूंदने से भला रात थोड़ी हो जाती है। साहित्य से कुछ रिश्ता जोड़िए, तो पता चले क्या चल रहा है।

    Shame! Seems people have no respect for their language, culture and nationality.

    Wake up and learn healthy journalism. Learn some journalistic skills including investigative journalism and do your home work before you write an article.

    I thank to previous responder who has taken off his time to write some logical facts about Hindi.

    मैथिलीशरण गुप्त के शब्दों में:

    जिसको न निज गौरव यथा, निज देश का अभिमान है,
    वह नर नहीं, नर पशु निरा, और मृतक समान है।

    - रोहित कुमार ‘हैप्पी’
    न्यूज़ीलैंड

  3. Comment by Hardik Upadhyay on 30 June 2008:

    Namaskaar,

    Maaf karna, lekin mein lekhak ke paksha mein hu. Hindi zinda to hai, lekin dhire dhire uuska parivartan ho raha hai. Aagar aisa chalta raha to bhavishya mein uuska mahatvapurna nahi rahega.
    Hindi mein likhane wale log aur suddh hindi bolne wali janata din-bar-din kum hoti jaa rahi hai. agar uuska bacchav karna hai to hamare yuvano ko aaisi durghatna ke liye jaagrut karna hoga.

    kahi barso pahele, Sanskrit ka bhi yahi haal hua tha. Sanskrit aaj hamare saath tho hai, lekin ek mari huyi bhasha ke ruup mein hai.

    jab hamare purvajo ne aangrejo ko hamari matrubhumi se bahar nikala tub woh uunki pascheemi sabhyata ko bahar nikal nein mein nisfal rahe. aaj aazadi ka jeevan mila hai lekin hamari janata khud aangrej ban ke rah gayi hai.
    uunki bhasha ki jyada pasand, uunke khane ki badhati pasand, uunke kapado ka rozana uupayog hone se aaj hamari sanskriti aur parampara ki mrutyu ho rahi hai.
    muje yeh kahte hue dukh ho raha hai ki agaar bharat sarkar aur hamare desh ki janata ees baat se jagrut nahi hoti hai, to England aur Bharat mein kuch jyada farq nahi rahe ga. woh aazadi kis kaam ki jaha hamari sanskriti ka hum aadar naa kare.

    satyamev jayte

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