Hindi is not national language but an official one: R Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin, whose recent retirement stunned the world of cricket and his fans, has said that Hindi is "not our national language but an official language" - a comment that could trigger a debate. Ashwin made the comment at the graduation ceremony of a private engineering college in Tamil Nadu, where the use of Hindi has always been a sensitive subject that has fuelled strong reactions. Addressing students, Ashwin asked if those attending the ceremony were willing to ask questions in Hindi if they weren't comfortable in English or Tamil.

"English students in the house - give me a yay," he urged, getting a loud cheer in reply. "Tamil" - at this, the students roared. "Okay, Hindi?" In response, the audience suddenly fell silent. "I thought I should say this. Hindi is not our national language; it is an official language," Ashwin went on to say, in Tamil.

The comment could provoke fresh debate at a time several opposition parties, including Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK, have accused the Centre of trying to impose Hindi on states, especially in the South.