BJP, DMK politicians, please don't drag R Ashwin into Hindi language controversy

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Poor Ravichandran Ashwin, little would he have known that interacting with engineering students graduating from a college near Chennai on Thursday would land him in trouble.

As one who speaks his heart out and wears patriotism on his sleeves, R Ashwin was talking on three different languages -- English Tamil and Hindi -- with students. It was more like trying to probe, what they like. When Ashwin said that Hindi is not a 'national language' but an 'official language' he was spot on.

It is well known, Ashwin played for India with zeal. And even when he had to pack up and leave Australia after the fourth Test, retiring all of a sudden, it was like his carrom ball -- unplayable. Every cricket fan knows, there were differences between Ashwin and coach-under-fire Gautam Gambhir. When Ashwin was not getting to play, barring the disaster of a Pink Ball Test, he decided to pack up with his wife and kids, flew back to Chennai.

Since then, Ashwin has been enjoying family life, catching up with friends in and around West Mambalam, his residence in Chennai, and former cricketers. The way he has been using his social media handle X (Twitter) has been witty. At the same time, Ashwin was not trying to add fuel to the fire vis a vis DMK vs BJP or South vs North when he spoke on the Hindi language. Hindi as a language is not enshrined in the holy Indian constitution.

It is being peddled as a mass language but South of the Vindhyas, which is Nagpur, Hindi as a language which is a 'must.' When Ashwin said it is an official language, it has many meanings. Our national leaders speak in Hindi, but that does not mean they do not communicate in English.

Every language must be respected, be it a regional language, English or Hindi. R Ashwin has been in the national team for years and knows how important Hindi is. He learnt Hindi to communicate with the players as well. For the record, Ashwin started his own YouTube in Tamil. He then collaborated with a YouTube specialist (Vimal) for shows in Hindi. It is shocking some BJP leaders have slammed Ashwin and asked him to stay away from the Hindi language debate. Ashwin played for the country, and won laurels. Was there any doubt at that time he was pro-TN or DMK?

It is well known, the more attempts are made to force Hindi, South of India, there will be more resistance. For the record, Hindi as a subject in schools in Tamil Nadu ranks high. So many people learn Hindi, Tamil and even a foreign language as it comes in handy. The last thing netas should do is drag Ashwin into this.

He won't mind it, though. He has played under MS Dhoni, who is from Jharkand, Virat Kohli, born in New Delhi and Rohit Sharma a Mumbaikar. Obviously, wicket-keepers communicate in Hindi so that rival team batters do not understand what's on. Someone like Rishabh Pant keeps chatting in Hindi, as picked up in stump microphones. So, did Ashwin ever say speak to me in Tamil? No.

Tamil is a very old language. Let politicians fight, be it DMK or BJP, do not try and damage the reputation of R Ashwin please. If you still want proof Ashwin was not trying to create a controversy, watch his Hindi YouTube shows. He best knows cricket, which is a language we all love, across fan zones and 'party lines.'