Language and power: What Ambedkar and Periyar teach us about Maharashtra’s Hindi debate

Since mid-April, Maharashtra became the centre of a major linguistic storm. The state government’s decision to make Hindi a compulsory third language in Marathi- and English-medium schools from Classes 1 to 5 sparked a sharp backlash. Protests came from teachers, students, civil society groups and political parties across the spectrum.

Although the government on Sunday eventually withdrew the policy, the episode exposed a deeper anxiety: is India drifting from its pluralistic roots toward a homogenised national culture?

At the heart of the debate lies the question of who decides which languages matter in India’s classrooms, and by extension, in its public life.

This question has been asked before by the architect of the Indian Constitution BR Ambedkar, by Dravidian leader EV Ramaswamy “Periyar” and even by Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci, each offering insights into how language relates to identity, democracy, and power.

What Ambedkar knew

BR Ambedkar, a native of Maharashtra, argued powerfully in favour of primary education in the mother tongue. Speaking in the Constituent Assembly on 2 September 1949, he said that education in a child’s native language is not just pedagogically sound, but it is essential for democratic participation.

This view finds echo in a 2025 Unesco report titled Languages Matter: Global guidance on multilingual education. It confirms how...

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