Every Nepalese knows the proverb, “Nepalese dogs speak English.” Once, it was a taboo to speak English in Nepal. Sure, the changing times have glorified English. Now it seems we’re desperately after the Hindi language. The age-old proverb has changed. It’s now “Nepalese dogs speak Indian.” Pardon me, but I’d like to delve a little into this “recent” (ultra-)nationalist psychology.
It wouldn’t be wrong if someone says that Bollywood (the Indian film industry) is also in our blood, especially since the majority of Nepalese know Hindi better than any other foreign language. I still don’t understand why we shouldn’t speak a language just because it’s foreign.
In a letter published in The Kathmandu Post (a leading Nepalese English daily), titled “Language Power,” a similar (ultra-)nationalist attitude hounded out other major or positive developments of Maoist leader Prachanda’s India visit. I agree that “language is the major means to exercise power over others” but should it be only Nepali, or English, or maybe Chinese?
I don’t think by speaking Nepali Prachanda would have had such a profound effect on Indian soil. However, Prachanda wasn’t there to exercise power but to strengthen Indo-Nepalese ties.
However, it doesn’t imply that we should start speaking in Hindi from now on. Here, I’d like to share a common experience about our Indian embassy officials. If you have talked with any Indian official in Nepal, you would probably know that they start speaking in Hindi even if you silently insist on speaking Nepali or English.
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