Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated March 1, 1956: Good English vs bad Hindi

It is better to speak good English than bad Hindi. This was the gist of Deputy Speaker Ananthasayanam Ayyangar's advice to non-Hindi-speaking Ministers and members in the Lok Sabha on February 27. Mr. A.C. Guha, Minister for Revenue and Defence Expenditure, had just read out - with some difficulty - the Hindi text of a reply to a question when the Deputy Speaker remarked amidst laughter, "Where they (Ministers) find that they can make a better impression on the House in English, they may do so. We are more interested in seeing that all members understand what is passing than in an examination hall for Hindi or English." Apparently, not wishing to be drawn into a Hindi-English controversy, he added that he would, however, leave the choice to the Ministers themselves.

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