Linguistic Harmony

Introduction

Linguistic harmony and respect for other languages have always been a well-cherished notion celebrated by Indians. Kabir Das, an Indian medieval saint, says in one of his couplets: people should speak in such a language which not only makes them happy but also others who listen to them. Further, in another couplet, he says that speech is priceless and one must think twice before speaking anything (Kabir ke Dohe 2018). There are more than 19,500 rationalized mother tongues – both classified and unclassified – spoken in India (PTI 2018), and multiculturalism and multilingualism is the heart of Indianness. Therefore, there is no national language in India, and Indians proudly celebrate the linguistic harmony among cultural diversity. Though Indians are overwhelmingly Hindu in religious affiliation or belief, yet India promotes the recognition, appreciation, celebration, and preservation of social difference. This chapter will discuss the psychological and religious aspects...