AR Rahman's 'Tamil link language' comment divides social media
What's the story
Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah pushed for Hindi to be a common language or a link language across the nation, famed music composer AR Rahman cleared his stance on the issue recently. When asked about the matter on Sunday evening, the music maestro said Tamil in itself is the "link language." Naturally, his comment has left social media divided. Let's discuss.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The "imposition" of Hindi has been seen as an attack on India's pluralism. Shah's recent remarks attracted criticism from Congress leaders, Trinamool Congress, multiple Northeastern groups, and several parties from Tamil Nadu. Language politics has a long history in India. Since 1949, non-Hindi-speaking states have vehemently protested against Hindi being the national language and this includes the severe Tamil Nadu strikes of 1964-65.
Details
What did Rahman say?
On Sunday, Rahman was leaving CII's Media and Entertainment Summit in Chennai, when he was asked about Shah's suggestion. "Tamil is only our link language," he said. Before this, Rahman also tweeted a symbolic image of Goddess Tamil, most probably after Shah's suggestion hit headlines. Although the illustration didn't carry any caption, it had a line from a famous Tamil poem written under it.
Do you know?
Here's what the poem means
The poem read: "Inba Thamizh Engal Urimai Sempayirukku Vaer," which translates to "delightful Tamil is the root of the staple crop of our rights." It is a line from a famous poem by Tamil nationalist poet Bharathidasan. With this, Rahman was seen invoking Tamil pride.
Parliament
And this is what Shah said
During the 37th meeting of the parliamentary official language committee on April 7, Shah proposed Hindi to be the common language between people of different states, and not English. The minister, who is also the chairperson of the committee, said it was time to "make the Official Language an important part of the unity of the country." Since then, Shah has garnered flak.
Reaction
Can't criticize Hindi after working in Bollywood, claimed netizens
Fellow Tamilians and people of non-Hindi-speaking states have widely supported Rahman's comment online. Notably, actor Prakash Raj has strongly spoken against the imposition of Hindi, too. However, the Grammy-winning artist has also earned backlash from a section of netizens. Many have claimed that Rahman should not criticize the Hindi language when he has earned money and fame from working in the Hindi movie industry.