ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu

Alright kiddo, so you know how there are different languages spoken in India, like Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and others, right?

Well, a long time ago, the Indian government made Hindi the official language of India. But many people in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India where Tamil is the primary language, didn't like that. They thought it was unfair for Hindi to be forced upon them when they spoke a different language.

In the 1960s, the Indian government tried to make Hindi the sole official language of India, which made people in Tamil Nadu really upset. They didn't want to lose their own language and culture, and they thought it would make them second-class citizens.

So, they started protesting against this decision in many different ways. People came out on the streets holding demonstrations, rallies, strikes and even riots. They called it the anti-Hindi agitations because they were against the idea of Hindi being the only official language, and they wanted their voices heard.

The protests went on for a long time, and finally, the Indian government listened to the people of Tamil Nadu and made Tamil an official language equal to Hindi. This meant that everyone could speak and use their own languages, and they didn't have to speak Hindi if they didn't want to.

That's the story of the anti-Hindi agitations in Tamil Nadu. People there were fighting for their rights to preserve their language and culture, and they were successful in their protests.