An open letter to the Prime Minister
Namaskaram Narendra Modi Garu,
Thank you for your remarks at the recent Ramnath Goenka Memorial Lecture. For the first time since Independence, a Prime Minister of India publicly called out the colonial conditioning imposed on us by Thomas Macaulay by deliberately destroying our Indian knowledge systems and producing Indians who feel inferior to the West. Thank you also for setting a target of 2035 for decolonising the Indian mind. Since my focus is also on enabling Indians to discover their identity and take pride in their heritage, your speech is a welcome breath of fresh air.
You mentioned that the National Education Policy encourages Bharatiya languages. I am sorry to say, but you have been misguided on this. The members of the committee failed in their constitutional obligation and also presented a fuzzy and incoherent set of recommendations. I will write about this in greater detail some other time.
Meanwhile, I ask of you to do the following six things. These steps can be implemented by you immediately. No policy, no budget. Just a word from you and it can be done.
1. Make the BJP website multilingual
There are only two options today: English and Hindi. A true national party should be accessible to every Bharatiya in every Bharatiya language. The New York City website (nyc.gov) instantly offers more than 250 languages. Most Indian languages (including Sanskrit) are featured there.
2. Add languages on the BJP press briefing backdrop
Currently the background screen in the press briefing room at the party headquarters mentions BJP only in two languages: Hindi and English. You can redesign it to include the other languages as well. This will send a strong signal of inclusivity.
3. Change Hindi Diwas into Bharatiya Bhasha Diwas
I just realised that there are two days for celebrating Hindi by the Central Government: January 10 (World Hindi Day) and Hindi Diwas (September 14). No wonder we get flak from our southern friends about the “imposition” of Hindi. Why cant we celebrate all our languages and change the name to Bharatiya Bhasha Diwas? This would send a powerful signal that you are keen on promoting all languages.
4. Enable all central government transactions in our own languages
Currently I can deal with the Central Government only in two languages. With technology available, I should be in a position to do so in my own language. Example: How about allowing me to file my IT returns in Telugu?
5. Encourage World Language Conferences for every language
We have the World Telugu Conference. We have a World Tamil Conference and a World Hindi Conference. These are the only three languages that explicitly celebrate their language. Other states do so as part of their state formation day. Why cant we have a World Odia Conference, World Assamese Conference, World Rajasthani Conference etc.? A directive from you to the State Governments encouraging them to have a periodic conference in their respective state language will revitalise scholarship and bring focus to the literary heritage each language holds.
6. PMO YouTube channels in every major Bharatiya language
Remember the Lex Fridman podcast that you did which was available in multiple Indian languages in your own voice ? This was enabled by technology from ElevenLabs. Why cant we create a separate YouTube channel for every language using this technology? All your speeches should be available in all languages on separate channels. A Telugu grandmother in Warangal or a Kannada student in Udupi should see a Modi Garu channel in their own language not just the title and the description but most importantly the audio. The technology exists and it only needs your nod.
These six steps can begin next week. They are civilisational signals that will tell every Indian that you mean what you say.
One Final Request
I am from Guntur, where the next World Telugu Conference is being organised in January 2026. Please come as the Chief Guest and declare to the world that the age of Bharatiya languages has returned.
Dhanyavadamulu.
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