Word: hindie
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When a change of this kind occurs in one of our bureaus, there is almost always a steady-as-she-goes man on deck who provides continuity as well as expertise. In New Delhi this is James Shepherd, an Indian by birth, upbringing and education, fluent in Hindi and Bengali, a working newsman since 1946 who has been reporting Indian affairs for TIME since 1953. With the reporting of Kraar, Zim and Shepherd (as well as some colorful asides from Indian Photographer T. S. Satyan, who spent two hours on the sacred waters of the Ganges to take...
Linguistic enmities hamper understanding and cause bloodshed among Asians, who speak more than 3,000 languages and dialects. The most recent linguistic flare-up came in February, after New Delhi tried to establish Hindi as the official tongue, although it is understood by less than 45% of India's population. Scores of pro-Hindi partisans were beaten, stabbed or trampled to death in protest riots by South Indians, who fear losing government jobs to Hindi speakers...
...faced its first electoral test since he took office last June. The party had reason to fear the result since India has for months been racked by a succession of woes, ranging from food shortages and floods to corruption and the bloody riots occasioned by the attempt to impose Hindi as the national language...
Kerala was an especially difficult testing ground. The Malayalam-speaking inhabitants had attacked post offices and disrupted rail services over the Hindi question. Though the most Christian state in India and the one with the highest literacy rate, Kerala is desperately poor and has a radical tradition. Back in 1957 the Communists captured the state government, ruling for 27 chaotic months until removed from of fice by a presidential decree...
Caught in the crossfire, Shastri temporized, upheld Hindi while at the same time promising that there would be no anti-Hindi discrimination. There will be equality in confusion: all civil-service applicants will probably be given exams in Hindi, English, and one of the other 13 major languages of India. In his small, dry voice, Shastri promised "a study of all aspects involved." Critics complained of his lack of leadership, but Shastri's very weakness and vagueness stopped the violence at least for the time being...