1966/03/01 by Duncan B. Forrester · 4 citations
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #South Asian Studies and Conflicts #South Asian Studies and Diaspora #Social and Economic Development in India
paper · doi:10.2307/2755179
openalex publication_date 1966/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/21
ANUARY 26, i965, the fifteenth anniversary of the coming into force of the .J Constitution of India, marked the end of the period in which English rather than Hindi could, according to the terms of the Constitution, be used for all official purposes.' In spite of many efforts to assure the non-Hindispeaking people of India that the change-over to Hindi would not be precipitate and that their legitimate interests would be safeguarded, there was much alarm in the non-Hindi areas, leading to bitter agitation and violent protest, particularly in the State of Madras. No agitation of similar intensity and scale had ever before been known in Madras, and it demonstrated deepseated dissatisfaction with the language policy of the Government of India and the mounting strength of some new political forces. This article concentrates on the agitation in Madras State and the response to it on the part of Indian policy-makers. Its purpose is to throw some light on the dynamics