Hindi Nationalism (tracks for the Times)

Download or read book Hindi Nationalism (tracks for the Times) written by Alok Rai and published by Orient Blackswan. This book was released on 2001 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This tract looks at the politics of language in India through a study of the history of one language Hindi. It traces the tragic metamorphosis of this language over the last century, from a creative, dynamic, popular language to a dead, Sanskritised, dePersianised language manufactured by a self-serving upper caste North Indian elite, nurturing hegemonic ambitions. From being a symbol of collective imagination it became a signifier of narrow sectarianism and regional chauvinism. The tract shows how this trans- formation of the language was tied up with the politics of communalism and regionalism.