The ruling DMK government has long opposed the third language policy, advocating for a two-language system, with Tamil and English, a strategy rooted in the Dravidianist ideology that dates back to the 1930s. However, the question arises: does the DMK, which led anti-Hindi agitations and fought against the imposition of Hindi as a third language, still remain committed to this goal? The situation seems hypocritical and contradictory when we consider the same DMK which opposes the Hindi permits the operation of 270-280 Urdu medium schools across the state.
Why the move is hypocritical is because, according to DMK leaders and Dravidian sympathizers, Hindi is seen as a threat to the Tamil language, with the fear that their presence would erode the language. This narrative has been propagated for years, leading to the view that promoting language like Hindi would impose foreign languages on the Tamil people. However, this stance becomes redundant when considering the status of Urdu, a language with vocabulary rooted in Sanskrit and Prakrit and shares origins with Hindi. Similarly, Urdu is often referred to as a ‘sister’ language due to its similar grammatical structures.
This raises several crucial questions: how can Dravidian leaders justify this contradiction? And does the DMK believe that only Muslims in the state should have the right to use and practice a language closely tied to Hindi, while others are excluded from this linguistic freedom?
Let’s break this down step by step. The DMK has long stirred up language-based tensions by fueling animosity toward languages like Hindi, framing it as a threat to Tamil. On the other hand, the party is also appeasing minorities by providing them with the opportunity to learn Urdu, a language predominantly spoken in northern India, thereby exposing its duplicity.
Urdu Medium Schools
According to the 2015 data from the Department of Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), Tamil Nadu has 280 Urdu medium schools, of which 214 are privately run. Additionally, the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Urdu Academy has stated that over 270 Urdu-medium schools in the state offer instruction in all subjects up to Grade XII. However, there remains a lack of clarity, as the Tamil Nadu government has yet to officially acknowledge the exact number of Urdu medium schools operating in the state, nor has it specified how many of them are fully or partially funded by the state.
Exemption For Urdu-speaking Students From Learning Tamil As language
In 2015, during the Namakku Naame campaign, M.K. Stalin promised that if the DMK came to power, they would make Urdu compulsory in schools.
Then, in 2019, Urdu linguistic minority students requested the state government to grant them an exemption from learning Tamil as a compulsory language. Members of the Urdu Protection Committee Tamil Nadu Trust, from Vaniyambadi, met with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and submitted a memorandum, asking for the reinstatement of a rule that was in place until 2006. This rule allowed Urdu-speaking students to be exempt from learning Tamil and instead study their mother tongue, Urdu, from Class I to X.
In 2023, Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister, Anbil Mahesh, gave an interview stating that steps would be taken to exempt Muslim students studying Urdu from learning Tamil. This statement was met with strong criticism from opposition parties. However, the Supreme Court of India has upheld Tamil as a mandatory subject in Tamil Nadu schools while allowing students from linguistic minority groups to opt for their mother tongue as an alternative. The court emphasized that students should have the option to study their native language and receive marks comparable to other subjects. Accordingly, non-Tamil mother tongue paper was introduced as an optional paper.
Tamil Nadu State Urdu Academy
In a glaring example of hypocrisy, the same DMK government that has long opposed Hindi and other languages, established the Tamil Nadu State Urdu Academy (TNUA) in 2000 under the leadership of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. The objective of the Academy is to promote Urdu language and literature in Tamil Nadu, as well as to encourage Urdu scholars, poets, and students.
Since its inception, the Tamil Nadu State Urdu Academy has organized events in collaboration with the University of Madras (Department of Urdu, Arabic, and Persian) to support Urdu students, scholars, and poets. The Academy has awarded certificates, prizes, and accolades to Urdu language enthusiasts and has hosted numerous seminars and functions. In addition, the Academy has organized several Urdu Mushaires (Urdu debates and poetry sessions) in celebration of national holidays like Republic Day and Independence Day. During these events, prominent Urdu poets and scholars have been invited to perform and receive recognition for their contributions. Furthermore, the Tamil Nadu State Urdu Academy has successfully facilitated the translation of 11th and 12th-grade textbooks from English into Urdu.
The DMK’s Dravidian Model of language politics is truly a masterpiece in selective outrage. While they wage war against Hindi, painting it as a mortal threat to Tamil identity, they roll out the red carpet for Urdu This selective outrage suggests that the DMK’s language policies are less about preserving Tamil and more about political appeasement.
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