Tamil Nadu Timeline

Anti Hindi

14 events, 1937 to 2025; 4 marked as turning points.

  1. 1937

    1. 11 Aug 1937 to 21 Feb 1940ChennaiLanguage

      Compulsory Hindi order and first anti-Hindi agitation

      The Rajaji government's move to make Hindi compulsory in schools triggered a large anti-Hindi agitation led by Periyar, the Justice Party and Tamil scholars.

  2. 1938

    1. 1 Aug 1938 to 11 Sep 1938TiruchirappalliProtest

      Tamilar Padai march from Tiruchi to Madras

      Known as the Tamilar Padai, anti-Hindi protesters marched from Tiruchirappalli to Madras, addressing meetings in towns and villages en route.

    2. 13 Nov 1938ChennaiProtest

      Tamil Nadu Women's Conference backs anti-Hindi agitation

      To display women's backing for the protests against compulsory Hindi, a Tamil Nadu Women's Conference met in Madras.

    3. 29 Dec 1938ChennaiPolitics

      Periyar jailed and elected Justice Party president

      E. V. Ramasamy was imprisoned for his role in the anti-Hindi agitation and was elected president of the Justice Party while in jail.

  3. 1939

    1. 15 Jan 1939 to 11 Mar 1939ChennaiProtest

      Deaths of Natarajan and Thalamuthu in custody

      Anti-Hindi protesters L. Natarajan and Thalamuthu died after being jailed, and were claimed as the first martyrs of the anti-Hindi movement.

  4. 1940

    1. 21 Feb 1940ChennaiLanguage

      Compulsory Hindi order withdrawn

      The Governor of Madras, Lord Erskine, withdrew the order making Hindi compulsory in schools, ending the first anti-Hindi agitation.

  5. 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.

  6. 1964

    1. 25 Jan 1964TiruchirappalliProtest

      Chinnasamy self-immolates against Hindi imposition

      DMK member Chinnasamy set himself on fire at Tiruchi, the first of the language martyrs of the second anti-Hindi struggle.

  7. 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.

  8. 1967

    1. Feb 1967ChennaiPolitics

      DMK wins the 1967 Assembly election

      A DMK-led alliance defeated the Congress, ending Congress rule in Madras State; Kamaraj lost his own seat.

  9. 1968

    1. 8 Jan 1968New DelhiLanguage

      Official Languages (Amendment) Act guarantees bilingualism

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

    2. 23 Jan 1968Fort St. GeorgeLanguage

      Assembly adopts the two-language policy

      The Madras Legislative Assembly scrapped the three-language formula and removed Hindi from the school curriculum, adopting Tamil and English.

  10. 1986

    1. 17 Nov 1986ChennaiProtest

      DMK agitation against Navodaya schools

      The DMK protested the National Policy on Education's Navodaya schools, seen as a route for Hindi imposition; the schools were not opened in Tamil Nadu.

  11. 2025

    1. Feb 2025ChennaiEducation

      Dispute over NEP, three-language policy and school funds

      Tamil Nadu refused to sign the PM SHRI agreement or adopt the three-language formula, and the Union withheld Samagra Shiksha funds.