Hindi will be the universally-accepted tongue: Anant

Bhopal, Mar 2 (UNI) Expressing concern over the condition of the Hindi language in India, eminent Mauritius-resident Hindi short story-writer Abhimanyu Anant is however not disappointed as he believes that Hindi will be the universally-accepted tongue some day.

''There is nothing wrong in learning English but that should not be at the cost of Hindi. Knowledge of English may be a compulsion for employment but it is not right to accord importance to English just to influence people and present oneself as modern,'' he told UNI here.

Anant, who was in the City of Lakes for a book-reading session at the multi-art centre Bharat Bhavan, claimed that Hindi was a language that had set itself in the mass psyche and added that other Indian languages should be respected and mastered.

''It is not prudent to talk of Hindi being substituted by English, which is understood by four per cent Indians. Political leaders encourage English as they do not forego a single chance to speak in that tongue. But do leaders from Japan, Russia, France or China ever speak in any language other than their respective mother tongues at international fora?'' he said.

Anant felt that the habit of greeting one's family members with ''good morning'' and addressing a senior as ''uncle'' was like offering a foreign land's flowers to one's presiding deity.

''Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and certain other Indian languages enjoy stature and respect in Mauritius where the short story-writing level is exalted. They are based on real-life problems and the characters are strugglers. Literature should be free and the writer's mind liberated,'' said Anant who has novels, hundreds of stories and more than 75 books to his credit.

Instead of associating with any ideology, a litterateur should imbibe noble principles from all, he felt while adding that litterateurs must avoid groupism.

''Litterateurs should stop talking about providing direction to society and instead raise questions relating to social problems. My first story 'Lahren Karah Uthi', published in an Indian magazine, was based on a man beating up children planting saplings in Mauritius. I was elated when 'Lal Pasina', based on my uncle Kishan Singh's life struggle, was translated into French,'' Anant reminisced.

His story 'Matampursi' was included among 20 outstanding stories of the post-Independence era by writer Kamleshwar. Later, Anant began writing for 'Sarika', 'Dharmyug' and 'Hindustan'. He recently penned a story for a 26-episode serial based on Mauritians' struggle. Anant is Mauritius-born. About three to four generations back, his ancestors migrated from Bihar in search of employment.

UNI