in Hindi

This is with reference to, "Cos may have to speak with Govt only in Hindi," (Business Line, February 5).

The move by the Ministry of Home Affairs to make it compulsory for companies to correspond with the Union Government only in Hindi is retrograde.

One of the factors that has attracted the multinationals to do business in India is the wide usage of English as a means of communication at all levels.

Every politician who is interested in the growth of the economy will agree that while India is emerging as a superpower, such a move could become a stumbling block. It is also an open fact that most of the multinationals have preferred India to China due to the wide use of English.

Though China is far ahead in the global market, the Chinese have started learning English in a big way because they are convinced that language should not hinder development.

It is a pity that the reason put forward for this move is that multinationals derive financial gains by using Hindi for marketing and advertising and, hence, there is nothing wrong in compelling them to use Hindi to communicate with the government. It is to be borne in mind that multinationals have to come to India to do business and not for charity. Earning profit is their goal, which is why they chose to advertise not only in Hindi but also in many other regional languages.

Such a move could pave the way for the State Governments to compel companies in their States to use the regional languages.

The real motive behind such a plan seems to be not to promote the language but populism.

M. Lakshmanan

Madurai

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