Tamil Nadu Timeline

LanguageRise of Dravidian rule

Official Languages (Amendment) Act guarantees bilingualism

· New Delhi

Amid fresh protests in Madras State, Parliament amended the 1963 Act to ensure English would continue in use alongside Hindi.

Introduced in Parliament on 27 November 1967, the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill was passed on 16 December 1967. The President gave assent on 8 January 1968, and the law took effect. By changing section 3 of the 1963 Act, it secured what has been described as a virtual indefinite policy of bilingualism, under which both Hindi and English are used for the Union's official business. Students in Madras State had renewed their protests in late 1967, demanding firmer guarantees.

Related events

  1. 1962

    1. 1962New DelhiPolitics

      Annadurai demands self-determination in the Rajya Sabha

      In his Rajya Sabha speeches, C. N. Annadurai stated the DMK case for the right of self-determination for the Dravidian south.

  2. 1963

    1. 10 May 1963New DelhiLanguage

      Official Languages Act passed

      Parliament passed the Official Languages Act to allow continued use of English alongside Hindi after 1965.

  3. 1964

    1. 1964New DelhiPolitics

      Kamaraj becomes Congress president and 'kingmaker'

      As president of the Indian National Congress, K. Kamaraj guided the selection of two Prime Ministers.

    2. 9 Jun 1964 to 13 Mar 1967New DelhiAgriculture

      C. Subramaniam becomes Union Food and Agriculture Minister

      Under the leadership of C. Subramaniam of Madras, high-yielding seeds were introduced, starting the Green Revolution.

  4. 1965

    1. 25 Jan 1965 to Mar 1965MaduraiProtest

      1965 anti-Hindi agitation

      Student-led protests against Hindi becoming the sole official language turned into statewide riots, with police firing and self-immolations.

  5. 1969

    1. 14 Jan 1969ChennaiGovernance

      Madras State renamed Tamil Nadu

      With the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1968 in force, the state officially took the name Tamil Nadu.

Open in the timeline explorer