Indian society draws diversity not only from religion but from a vast linguistic, ethnic and dietary spectrum. Examine how the Eighth Schedule and Article 350 institutionalise linguistic diversity.
Subtopic: Indian Society · Salient Features — Diversity
How to structure your answer
Introduction: Census 2011 records 121 mother tongues with over 10,000 speakers across 22 scheduled and 100 non-scheduled languages. India's linguistic federalism is unique.
Body — three dimensions: (1) Eighth Schedule — started with 14 languages (1950), now 22 after additions of Sindhi (1967), Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali (1992), Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali (2003); demands include Tulu, Bhojpuri, Garhwali. (2) Article 350-A (mother-tongue instruction at primary stage), 350-B (Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities), Article 343 (Hindi as Official Language) and Article 345 (state language). (3) Three-language formula — Kothari Commission 1968, NEP 2020 reaffirmation; English-medium expansion vs vernacular concern.
Conclusion: The framework has accommodated linguistic plurality; classical-language tags (Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali — declared October 2024) add cultural recognition.
Written within the word limit
129 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: Census 2011 records 121 mother tongues spoken by over 10,000 speakers each across 22 scheduled and 100 non-scheduled languages — India's linguistic federalism is unique in the world.
Body: The Eighth Schedule began with 14 languages in 1950 and now lists 22 after Sindhi (1967, 21st Amendment), Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali (1992, 71st Amendment), and Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali (2003, 92nd Amendment); demands for Tulu, Bhojpuri and Garhwali remain pending. Articles 343–351 (Part XVII) frame the official-language regime; Article 350-A secures primary education in the mother tongue; Article 350-B establishes the Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities. The three-language formula, set by the Kothari Commission (1968) and reaffirmed in NEP 2020, mediates the Hindi-English-regional balance. Hindi covers 43.6%, Bengali 8.0% (Census 2011).
Conclusion: The framework has absorbed plurality; the 2024 addition of Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit to the classical-language list on 3 October 2024 extends cultural recognition.
What an examiner expects to see
- Census 2011 — 121 mother tongues with >10,000 speakers
- Eighth Schedule — 22 languages (started with 14 in 1950)
- Sindhi added 1967 (21st Amendment)
- Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali added 1992 (71st Amendment)
- Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali added 2003 (92nd Amendment)
- Articles 343-351 — Official Language Part XVII
- Article 350-A — primary education in mother tongue
- Article 350-B — Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities
- 11 classical languages, Assamese-Bengali-Marathi-Pali-Prakrit added 3 October 2024
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Hindi 43.6%, Bengali 8.0% (Census 2011)
- Demand for Bhojpuri, Tulu, Garhwali inclusion
- Three-language formula in Tamil Nadu vs two-language policy
- Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia classical status
- Tamil — first classical-language declaration (2004)