The modern in Indian languages and literature https://www.india-seminar.com/2019/722/722_ashok_vajpeyi.htm ASHOK VAJPEYI
there are at least two kinds of modernity: one emerging from the restlessness and interrogative spirit of Indian traditions and the other being propelled by the western impact.
The emergence of the modern was also almost simultaneous with the appearance of nationalism, democratic impulses, identity issues and communalism.
In a recent People’s Linguistic Survey of India, it has been revealed that, if one ignores the rather firmly rooted but highly questionable distinction between languages and dialects brought about by the modern, there are still more than 700 languages in India, some spoken by a few hundreds to others spoken by millions. But in the VIII Schedule of the Constitution of India, only 22 languages are, in a way, recognized.
During the Mughal period (early 16th to mid-19th century), the official language was Persian and the British replaced it eventually by English, Even after independence, English remains the official language as also the language of power, thought and creativity. Barely 10 per cent of the Indian population knows it, but it is very powerful, enjoying the patronage of the state, the market and the elite.
The West-propelled modern, in its zeal to organize Indian reality anew, also brought in the concept of the classical and the modern. So music and dance were termed classical; literature, theatre and visual arts, modern. The rest were lumped in a new category ‘folk’.
The modern also brought a new sense of freedom in the broader sociopolitical context. A mass movement, later to be led by Mahatma Gandhi, started to convert the age-old concept of individual liberation, ‘moksha’, into a more radical concept of social freedom. This had far reaching consequences. Literature became a site of struggle for freedom, against conventions of morality, social conduct, and form; it also, in a significant way, became a more open and visible arena of contestation between contending but alternative visions
The rise of nationalism was also coupled with the twin emergence of communalism, of Hindu and Muslim identities. Especially in the North, it created a disastrous schism between Hindi and Urdu, the two languages that shared the same geography, many cultural and social memories, and the twin trends of Sanskritization and Persianization took root. In the South, however, there was greater integration and accommodation.
The modern also brought in its baggage several new ideologies. Other than nationalism and communalism came Marxism and Gandhism.
Communalism in India in its current popular phase seems to have taken root in a disturbing way. The forces that openly profess and practice it are enjoying unprecedented power and a large following. But in contrast, these same forces have little following or influence in literature. Particularly in the Hindi belt, which is notoriously communal and caste ridden, the literature remains pluralistic, firmly opposed to communalism and casteism. Hindi literature today is the only political opposition left, with all political parties in the region having fallen prey to the regressive forces and parochializing strategies promoting caste and religious bigotry. It is a radical moment where literature stands up against a vast and increasing majority of society in which it is produced.