Explore the journey of Hindi, Bhupen Hazarika’s legacy, Shankar’s Weekly’s closure, and Manoj Bajpayee’s new ghost film in Mrinal Chatterjee’s Window Seat
Mrinal Chatterjee
Hindi
The Hindi language, today spoken by over 600 million people, across the world has a long and layered history. Its roots can be traced back to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European family of languages. The earliest precursor to Hindi was Vedic Sanskrit (1500–500 BCE), followed by Classical Sanskrit, which shaped much of Indian literature and religious texts.
From Sanskrit evolved Prakrits (vernacular dialects used by common people), especially Shauraseni Prakrit, which later gave rise to Apabhramsha dialects around the 6th–10th centuries CE. Apabhramsha played a crucial role as the immediate predecessor of Hindi, with early poets using it in their verses.
By the 11th century, regional dialects such as Braj, Awadhi, Khari Boli, and Bhojpuri began to flourish. Among these, Khari Boli, spoken around Delhi and Western Uttar Pradesh, gradually gained prominence. The Delhi Sultanate and Mughal period (13th–18th centuries) saw Persian influencing local speech, which resulted in the development of Hindustani—a blend of Khari Boli with Persian, Arabic, and Turkic vocabulary. Hindustani later branched into Urdu and modern Hindi, depending on the script (Perso-Arabic or Devanagari) and cultural associations.
Modern Hindi took shape during the 19th century, when writers and reformers like Bharatendu Harishchandra (incidentally the nation is celebrating his 175th birth anniversary on 9 Sept. 2025) promoted its use in literature, theatre, and journalism. It was promoted during the freedom movement by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, who established Dakhin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sava in Madras in 1918.
On 14 September 1949, Hindi was adopted as the official language of the Republic of India, written in Devanagari script. Presently both Hindi and English areofficial languages of India. No language has been adopted as the ‘national’ language of the country.
Hindi, with its vast reach and government patronage has assumed the role of a national link language.
Bhupen Hazarika@100:
The Bard of Bramhaputra
The birth centenary of Bhupen Hazarika (8.9.1926–2011) is a moment to celebrate not just a legendary musician, but a cultural icon whose voice became the conscience of India. Known as the ‘Bard of Brahmaputra’, Hazarika’s songs transcended barriers of language, region, and class, weaving together the spirit of humanity, justice, and compassion. Bhupen Hazarika was not only a singer; he was a musician, composer, lyricist, director, journalist; he also dabbled in politics.
Born in Sadiya, Assam, Hazarika was a child prodigy who sang for noted Assamese filmmaker Jyotiprasad Agarwala. He studied at Banaras Hindu University and later earned a doctorate from Columbia University in 1952. While he was in the USA, he was influenced by world folk traditions and the American civil rights movement. Yet, he always returned to his roots, carrying with him the folk pulse of Assam and the North East, transforming it into songs of universal appeal.
His creations such as Bistirno Parore (inspired by Paul Robeson’s “Ol’ Man River”), Dil Hoom Hoom Kare, and countless Assamese ballads are not just melodies but messages of unity, fraternity, and resilience. With his deep, resonant voice, he gave voice to the marginalized, sang of rivers and workers, of love and revolution, of peace and humanity.
Hazarika was also a filmmaker, lyricist, writer, and political leader. As chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and as a legislator, he sought to use art as an instrument of change. His contribution was recognized with honors like the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan, and posthumously, the Bharat Ratna.
Shankar’s Weekly
On 31 August 50 years ago, two months after an internal Emergency was clamped on India, the last issue of ‘Shankar’s Weekly’, the iconic cartoon weekly closed down- partly because of emergency and the pressure it exerted on freedom of expression, partly because it was losing steam(it was first published in 1948; Shankar was 46 then. In 1975 Shankar was 73).
Many cartoon magazines have been published in India after independence. Marmik was launched on 13 August 1960, Lotpot was published in 1969. But none could take the place of Shankar’s Weekly.
The last editorial of Shankar’s Weekly dated 31 August 1975 remains one of the most poignant farewells in Indian journalism. Shankar warned that dictatorships cannot afford laughter, and lamented that the world, and India, had grown grimmer. How true!
Bhoot
I am an unabashed bhoot-lover. I love reading ghost stories, hearing ghost tales, visiting haunted houses or even water bodies (like the one I visited in Shimla right in front of the hotel I stayed in), and of course writing ghost stories.
So it is great news for me as Manoj Bajpayee, Ram Gopal Varma reunite for the horror comedy ‘Police Station Mein Bhoot’. The film, also starring Genelia Deshmukh, follows a police officer who is haunted by the ghost of a dreaded gangster he killed in an encounter.
The film went on floors recently.
(The author is Professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, IIMC Dhenkanal. Views expressed are personal.)