Overview

• At the Dakshin Samvad Golden Jubilee in Hyderabad on July 10, Pawan Kalyan urged people in southern states to adopt Hindi voluntarily as a tool for national unity and communication.
• He emphasized that learning Hindi strengthens rather than erodes regional identities, drawing on former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s view of languages as connectors of hearts.
• Using a familial analogy, Kalyan likened Telugu to a mother tongue and Hindi to a complementary “aunt” language accessible across India.
• Kalyan cited significant revenue from South Indian films dubbed in Hindi to illustrate the language’s economic benefits.
• Actor Prakash Raj condemned the appeal as “shameful,” highlighting persistent sensitivities over Hindi expansion in non-Hindi-speaking regions.