A woman advocating for banning Urdu and reviving Sanskrit has faced backlash on social media for using English to make her point. Known as “The Kerala Girl” on X, she shared a photo of a placard reading, “Stop Urdu. Bring back Sanskrit. Stop language war. Be united.”
Criticism of Language Use
In her post, she captioned: “United we stand, divided we fall. End the language war. Britishers were foreigner so as the Urdu. They divide us.”
#Hinduism #StayUnited
United we stand, divided we fall.
End the language war.
Britishers were foreigner so as the Urdu.
They divide us. pic.twitter.com/wntp9bN4SE— The Kerala Girl🪷🕉️( Bharath ki Beti ) (@da_kerala_girl) September 16, 2024
Critics highlighted the irony of promoting Sanskrit and opposing Urdu while using English, a language with its own colonial legacy in India. Some noted Hindi’s lexical influence on Urdu and pointed out Sanskrit’s connections with the Indo-European language family.
Public Reaction and Debate
Responses included comments like, “Stop using English…it’s British,” and “Fighting for Sanskrit against Urdu in English.” The debate comes in the context of India’s 22 official languages, with Sanskrit being one of the oldest, and Urdu emerging during the medieval period.
Regional Language Issues
This controversy coincides with Hindi Diwas observed on September 14 and ongoing disputes in Karnataka, where Kannada is becoming increasingly essential for local acceptance and survival.
