As it is known, India is a democratic country. It has various cultures, traditions, ethnicity, and even languages. The languages spoken in India are diverse as there is no one specific national language. Since the beginning, when the constitution was being made, there have been debates on the issue of a national language. But let us tell you, the national language differs from the official language. They are not the same. Although there is no national language in India, there definitely are official languages in India. In this article, we will take you through the same. And then we can see the Official Languages of India.
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Official Languages of India
It is said that the Indian Language changes every few kilometers as water does. And this is true. With 28 states and 8 union territories in India, there are several languages that are being spoken in the country. There are at least 800 languages and 2000 dialects identified by the Constitution of India. The debate on a national language has a vast history. Maybe we should first understand that.
The history behind the Official Languages of India
After gaining independence in 1947, the nation took the issue of a national language very seriously. They felt one language for the nation would help the citizens bind better, but they also realized that not everyone would be able to accept one language due to the diversity in languages spoken across the country. Hindustani, a combination of Hindi and Urdu, was the first option to be selected as the National language. But after most Arabic writing population left, Hindi was chosen. This was because the language has the highest number of speakers at that time. In 1950, Hindi in Devanagari script was officially declared as the national language. It was also said that English would be phased out by 1965.
Despite all this planning, the non-Hindi speakers protested violently as they felt the language is being imposed on them. This was especially by the southern states where Dravidian languages were spoken. So, in 1963 the parliament amended the act. It stated that Hindi would be used for all official purposes and usage of English would not end until a resolution is passed by each state legislature that did not adopt Hindi as its official language. Today, after multiple amendments, there is no national language. The Eighth Schedule includes 22 Official Languages of India.
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National Language Vs Official Language
Both national and official languages of India are legal. But both of them are not the same. Due to the lack of exact definition, this has always confused most citizens.
On a broad term, a national language is a language spoken to a nation. An official language is a language used by a particular government for day-to-day activities. A nation can have various official languages but only one national language. Like Singapore has four official languages: English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay. But it has only one national language: Malay.
India does not have any national language. Though most of them feel it is Hindi or English. There are 22 officials languages of India. Let us have a look at all of them.
Official Languages
There are 22 official languages in India spoken in different states. The details of the same have been given below.
| Language | State |
| Assamese | Assam, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Bengali | West Bengal, Tripura |
| Bodo | Assam |
| Dogri | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Gujarati | Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat |
| Hindi | Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal |
| Kannada | Karnataka |
| Kashmiri | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Konkani | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala (The Konkan Coast) |
| Maithili | Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Malayalam | Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry |
| Manipuri | Manipur |
| Marathi | Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
| Nepali | Sikkim and West Bengal |
| Odia | Orissa |
| Punjabi | Punjab and Chandigarh, Delhi and Haryana |
| Sanskrit | Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| Santali | Spoken by Santhal people mainly in the state of Jharkhand as well as in the states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal |
| Sindhi | Gujarat, Maharashtra |
| Tamil | Tamil Nadu, Puducherry |
| Telugu | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry |
| Urdu | Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Jharkhand, Delhi, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal |
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Number of speakers
You have seen the list of official languages of India. But there are many other languages that are spoken by the public. We have listed them below in order of the number of people who speak them as the first language.
- Hindi: 337 million
- Bengali: 70 million
- Telugu: 66 million (Dravidian)
- Marathi: 63 million
- Tamil: 53 million (Dravidian)
- Urdu: 43 million
- Gujarati: 41 million
- Kannada: 50 million (Dravidian)
- Malayalam: 30 million (Dravidian)
- Oriya: 28 million
- Punjabi: 23 million
- Bhojpuri: 23 million
- Assamese: 13 million
- Maithili: 8 million
- Sindhi: 2.1 Million
- Konkani: 1.7 Million
- Manipuri: 1.2 Million
- Nepali: 1 Million
- Kashmiri: 0.5 million
- Sanskrit: <0.1 million
Other Languages
- Angika: 30 million
- English
- Sanskrit (classical)
- Wagdi
- Marwari: 12 million
- Chhattisgarhi: 11 million
- Magahi: 11 million
- Awadhi: 0.5 million
- Tulu: 2 Million
- Kodava (Dravidian)
- Dogri
- Persian
- French
- Portuguese
- Bodo
- Kokborok: 0.8 million
- Santhali
- Sikkimese
- Dzongkha
- Dakkhini (also known as Deccani): 11 million
Minority Language
- Mahl: (also known as Malki, spoken in Minicoy): 15 thousand
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the national language of India?
A. India does not have any national language. The official languages of India are considered to be Hindi and English.
2. How many official languages are in India?
A. There are 22 official languages in India. They are: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.
3. What are the 22 official languages of the Constitution of India?
A. The official languages in India are: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.
4. What are the minority languages of India?
A. Mahl, a language spoken in Minicoy, an island in the Lakshadweep, is the minority language of India as it has only 15 thousand speakers.
5. What are the top 3 languages spoken in India?
A. Based on the number of speakers, the top 3 languages spoken in India are Hindi, Bengali, and Telugu.
6. Which is the most ancient language of India?
A. Sanskrit. It is the oldest language in India and also the basis of most Indian languages. Sanskrit is no more used as a language for speaking, reading, writing, and learning. But Sanksrit is still available in poems and dramas.
7. Which is India’s toughest language to learn?
A. Malayalam, which is the official language of Kerala, is the toughest to learn compared to any other language in India.
