22 09 2023
What is the BHASHA of BHARAT?
There is no national language and there is no single official language which we can truly say as the ‘Bhasha’ of Bharat.
The Constitution of India designates the official language of the Government of India as Hindi written in the Devanagari script, as well as English.
However, each of the 28 States and 7 Union Territories set up on linguistic principles have their major languages and other languages with significant population, recognized in Indian Constitution. They are besides Sanskrit, 21 other languages such as Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Kannada, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Santali, Sindhi, and Urdu
| Bhasha of Bharat, is therefore not one Bhasha, but an expression in a language of their own. It is an expression of liberty and freedom to choose their choice of language for communication with different language groups in India. |
Bharat versus India
Whether you call our country India or Bharat, it is the same. Constitution of India says “India – that is Bharat, shall be a union of States.”
The name Bharat is an ancient Sanskrit term that fits spiritually with our tradition, culture and the glorious past, and emotionally with our freedom struggle.
The spirit of Bharat lies in its people who have the freedom to speak in their native languages locally and connect with a common language which got evolved over time.
The colours of Bharat lie in villages where Art and Tradition is followed and practiced in different states even today.
The culture of Bharat is influenced by combination of several factors such as religion, literature, language, dance, dress, foreign invasion over centuries and the ability to adapt with nature.
The name India originated from the Sanskrit word ‘Sindhu’ and adapted from Greek word ‘Indike’. The name had Greek, Latin and British influence. The Britishers started using the India over Bharat or Hindustan in their communication internally and internationally.
Both India and Bharat and Hindustan co-existed and used depending the content, language and context without any strict rules. We can safely say India is the Brand name for Bharat used while projecting its growth and development and Bharat is the soul of India used while projecting its history, culture, language and tradition.
Bharat Ki Shakti – Multilingualism
English is a foreign language, imposed on Indians by the British Raj as it is convenient for them to speak in English to different language groups that exists in India. Indians who learnt English got jobs in government, public and private enterprise. These so-called white-collar jobs were preferred as there is a certain status symbol that they are ‘Sahibs”. English speaking Indians considered themselves as representative of British Empire. It is generally considered learned, if you are able to speak English. Thus, people started speaking in English to show off even among those whose mother tongue is the same. English medium schools and convent schools were promoted.
After independence the system of education and educational policies continued as before. English is used across the country and more importantly in written communication and where Hindi or the native language usage is not possible. English is a language of convenience for Southern States to converse with officials in Northern States. North Indians too understood English although it is not their native language.
Hindi is the native language for the majority of the population and also understood by others in India. Hence it is also a common language for communication locally as well as nationally. English speaking population is less than 10% of the total population of India. It is still acting as a link language as India speaks different languages. The scenario will change soon as more and more people are comfortable speaking in Hindi.
Marketing in India will be more and more content driven and language driven. The demand for digital content in the Indian language has grown and the time will soon come when website localization in all Indian languages will become a must for marketing of all products and services.
Bharat ki shakti is multilingualism and to take advantage of this, means relying on translation and localization so that India that is Bharat speaks in your language. For further guidance and advice on translation and to know what it means to localize, visit our website Bhasha Bharati Arts and Shakti Enterprise, two of India’s leading translation service providers
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