The use of language is a highly sensitive subject in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. There have been debates about the use of Hindi in the state and it is also a political issue. A no. of the ministers in Tamil Nadu refused to accept Hindi as a language and insisted on using Tamil in the state.
Former India scion Ravichandran Ashwin recently sparked a controversial debate over the use of the language in the state. Ashwin called Hindi the official language and not the national language.
Ravichandran Ashwin sparks controversial debate over language
Ravichandran Ashwin spoke at a graduation ceremony at a private engineering college in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. During the ceremony, he asked no. of students who could understand English. Moreover, he also asked about the students who could speak Tamil or Hindi.
While he received warm applause for the English language, he received even loud applause for the Tamil language, which was understandable as it was in Tamil Nadu. However, the cheers went down considerably when Ashwin called for Hindi.
“English students in the house…give me a yes. tamil? (loud cheers from the crowd). Okay…Hindi (very little joy),” Ashwin said at the ceremony.
Realizing that there was hardly any cheering from the crowd for Hindi, Ashwin sparked the debate by saying, “I thought I should say that. Hindi is not our national language; it is an official language”.
#Clock | Vibrant arena for Tamil.. SILENT for Hindi.. “Hindi is not a national language”.. Recorded by Ashwin!
Cricketer Ashwin hosted a graduation ceremony held at a private engineering college in Chennai#SunNews | #Chennai | #Ashwin | @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/TeWPzWAExQ
— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) January 9, 2025
Is Hindi the national language of India?
Ashwin received another loud cheer from the crowd after he refused to call Hindi the national language. However, these remarks sparked a controversial debate on social media
It is worth noting that the Constitution of India accepts Hindi as an “official language” but not the national language. India does not have a designated national language due to the wide variety of languages spoken in different parts of the country.
Ravichandran Ashwin's incredible numbers in Tests
Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket recently during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He officially announced his retirement after the third Test of the series played at the Gabba, Brisbane.
The 38-year-old veteran finished as one of the legends of the game, having played over 100 Tests in his prolific Test career. Ashwin took 537 wickets in 106 Tests at an average of 24 with 37 five-wicket hauls.
Ravichandran Ashwin finished as India's second most successful bowler in Tests after Anil Kumble. Apart from bowling, he was also a handy batsman at the command. He scored 3503 runs at an average of 25.75 and hit 6 hundreds in his career.
Apart from Test cricket, Ashwinn also played a no. of white ball cricket. He finished with 156 wickets in 116 ODIs at an average of 33.20 and 72 wickets in 65 T20Is at an average of 23.22.