29, July 2026

Language Question in India: Continuities and Changes from the Freedom Struggle to the Post-Independence Nation-State.

VOLUME-9; ISSUE-7; JULY-2026

Author(s): Neeraj Singh

Authors Affiliations:

M.A.History(2026)

Department of History University of Delhi

DOIs:10.2018/SS/202607007     |     Paper ID: SS202607007


Abstract
Keywords
Cite this Article/Paper as
References

This paper examines the language question in India, tracing its trajectory from the anti-colonial struggle to the formative decades of the post-independence state. It explores the competing visions of national unity and regional identity as articulated by movement leaders and debated within the Constituent Assembly. By analysing the compromise formulas embedded in the Indian Constitution and the subsequent policy shifts that led to linguistic reorganisation, the paper argues that the Indian state’s management of linguistic conflict evolved from a technocratic pursuit of uniformity to a democratic recognition of pluralism. Utilising the theoretical frameworks of nationality-formation and positive democratic channels, this study demonstrates how language serves as a vital link between society and the state in a multilingual democracy.

Language Question, Munshi-Ayyangar, Constituent Assembly, Dar commission, JVP Committee

Neeraj Singh (2026); Language Question in India: Continuities and Changes from the Freedom Struggle to the Post-Independence Nation-State., Shikshan Sanshodhan : Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences,      ISSN(o): 2581-6241,  Volume – 9,   Issue –  7,  Available on –   https://shikshansanshodhan.researchculturesociety.org/

  1. Agnihotri, R.K. (2015). Constituent Assembly Debates on Language. Economic and Political Weekly, 50(8), 47-56.
  2. Bajpai, R. (2000). Constituent Assembly Debates and Minority Rights. Economic and Political Weekly, 35(22), 1837-1845.
  3. Bajpai, R. (2010). Constitution-making and Political Safeguards for minorities: An Ideological explanation. In M. R. Ansari and D. Achar (Eds.), Discourse, Democracy and Difference: Perspectives on Community, Politics and Culture (pp. 271-308). Sahitya Akademi.
  4. Bajpai, R. (2008). Minority Representation and The Making of The Indian Constitution. In R. Bhargava (Ed.), Politics and Ethics of the Indian Constitution (pp. 354-391). Oxford University Press.
  5. Brass, Paul. (1974). Language, Religion and Politics in South Asia. Cambridge University Press.
  6. Das Gupta, J. (1970). Language Conflict and National Development: Group Politics and National Language Policy in India. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  7. Hany Babu, M. T. (2017). Breaking The Chaturvarna System of Languages: The Need to Overhaul the Language Policy. Economic and Political Weekly, L11(23), 112-119.
  8. King, R. D. (1997). Nehru and the Language Politics of India. Oxford University Press.
  9. Mitchell, L. (2009). Language, Emotion, and Politics in South India: The Making of a Mother Tongue. Indiana University Press.
  10. Ramaswamy, S. (1997). Passions of the Tongue: Language Devotion in Tamil India, 1891-1970. University of California Press.

 

Download Full Paper

Download PDF No. of Downloads:3 | No. of Views: 27