Language cannot be learned by force. It happens naturally when children grow up hearing and using a language in their daily lives.
A person may also learn a language if they have a strong interest in it or if they need it for their job or life situations. But outside of natural exposure, not everyone feels the same motivation, because interests differ from person to person.
Some people develop a liking for a language because of its sound, cultural influence, or even for no clear reason. Only then do they try to learn it seriously.
However, even when someone tries to learn a language out of need, not everyone succeeds. Even they don't learn in natural way as well.
For example, many North Indian Hindi speakers living in Hyderabad for over 20 years still don’t speak Telugu. That’s because they don’t have interest or a natural flair for it.
The same goes for many Telugu or Tamil people who never learn Hindi while living in their home states.
Not learning a language doesn’t always mean hatred. Hatred for Hindi is mostly seen in Tamil Nadu politics, not in the general public or other states.
Kannada speakers support their language but don't oppose Hindi. People in Kerala often enjoy Hindi films and songs. Telangana has always been more open to Hindi due to its mixed culture and history.
In Andhra Pradesh, while fewer people speak Hindi fluently, they don’t hate it either.
So when leaders like Pawan Kalyan or Chandrababu Naidu speak loudly about promoting Hindi just to please BJP, it sounds unnecessary.
Their comments should be directed only at parties like DMK that have a strong anti-Hindi stand, not at the public, who mostly have no issue with the language. Promoting language should be done with sensitivity, not political pressure.
Well, many question if Lokesh and Chandrababu Naidu can speak in Hindi, though Pawan Kalyan is trying a bit reading out Hindi during his public speeches.
Madhunandan Akkishetty
