Hi all! Hope you're doing well in your life. So many north indian friends may wonder why south indian people especially tamil people are not speaking Hindi. As a tamilian, I'm gonna answer that question today. As you all know, tamil is the oldest language not only in india but also in the world. Ancient Tamil kings ruled many parts of the world. Our culture and heritage is also very unique with history that spans over hundred's of years. The real problem arrived after the independence. In the mid 20th century i.e 1960's the ruling party of Central government passed an act called Official Language act 1963 and amended it in 1967. The act states that Hindi is the official language of India for all kind of trades and business, law etc. The tamil people consider this as an imposition of Hindi on them. The major drawback of this act is that so many people's in south india doesn't know or want hindi as an official language. So, they protested against it with the help of major dravidian parties.Many feel that learning Hindi could undermine the importance of their own language and culture.

They viewed the imposition of Hindi as an attempt to impose North Indian culture and dominance over the South, particularly the Dravidian people.India is a linguistically diverse country, and Tamil Nadu is one of the few states that has consistently advocated for federalism and linguistic equality. Tamil Nadu's political parties, especially the Dravidian parties (like DMK and AIADMK), have historically positioned themselves against the central government’s push for Hindi. They emphasize regional pride and autonomy, and opposing Hindi is part of this broader political narrative.The state's people generally believe that India should be a multilingual nation where no single language is imposed on others.Tamil Nadu's education system emphasizes Tamil and English. English, being a global language, is considered more useful for higher education and career opportunities, while Tamil is cherished for its cultural and regional importance. Hindi is often seen as unnecessary for many Tamil speakers in this context.Many Tamil people feel there is no practical need for Hindi in Tamil Nadu. English and Tamil are sufficient for daily life, business, and education. Since Hindi is predominantly spoken in North India, it is less relevant in the southern state, especially when English serves as a pan-Indian link language.

In summary, Tamil people’s reluctance to speak Hindi stems from a combination of linguistic pride, historical opposition to Hindi imposition, political identity, and the perceived practicality of using Tamil and English.