Creation of Hindi language was a political project: author Ghazala Wahab

In a conversation with Varghese K. George, Resident Editor of The Hindu, Delhi, author Ghazala Wahab spoke about her book, ‘The Hindu Heartland: A Study’. The book is a profile of the region from a geographical, historical, cultural, political and social viewpoint. It examines how the Hindi heartland has come to be viewed today – as politically important, but socially regressive. 

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The Hindi heartland comprises Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. When asked why Haryana is not part of the Hindi heartland, Ms. Wahab said, “The Hindi heartland is not just a political entity, but a geographic entity. It’s not a linguistic entity. In fact, language is the least unifying identity. The Hindi heartland is essentially the Indo Gangetic Valley.”

Ms. Wahab said that the creation of the Hindi language was a political project, not an organic evolution of language. Speaking of the emergence of Hindi as a common language of the region, she said: “There are many factors that go into the evolution of language. Technology, for instance. Another is when people from different linguistic traditions interact with one another for commercial reasons or reasons of conquest. Hindi was originally conceptualised as a language of Hindus in India by the British.” For the nationalists, Hindi emerged from a desire to find unity in diversity; and to find a “national” language which could be an alternative to English and Persian, she added. 

Also elaborating on the use of language as a tool of division, she said it became the easiest way of keeping Hindus and Muslims from each other. “Language and dress became a way of categorising people,” she said.

Before the British came to India, the U.P. and Bihar belt was one of the richest parts of not just India, but the entire south Asian region, she said. “The reason economic degradation happened in the region was because of colonialism,” she explained.

On whether the region is losing its political influence today, Wahab said that won’t happen because of the sheer number of people living in the region. “Politicians still see this region as a way of entering national politics,” she said. George added that when the next delimitation happens, U.P. will gain seats and Tamil Nadu will lose some — an indication of the continuing influence of the region.

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