Australian Census Fails to Capture True Multilingualism of Indian-Australian Households, Alleges Community Advocate
Melbourne, Australia – A prominent Indian-Australian community advocate is calling for a re-evaluation of how language is captured in the Australian Census, arguing that the current methodology significantly misrepresents the multilingual reality of Indian-Australian households, particularly regarding the prevalence of Hindi. Dr. Subhash Sharma, president and a founding member of Hindi Shiksha Sangh Inc. Australia, believes that the Census’s single-language question leads to an incomplete picture, masking the widespread use and understanding of Hindi within the community.
Dr. Sharma, who has dedicated over 25 years to organizing Hindi literary activities, asserts that most Australians of Indian background are fluent in at least three languages: their mother tongue, Hindi, and English. However, the Census question, which asks about the “language used at home other than English,” often captures only one of these, thereby underreporting the true linguistic diversity.
“The question in the form is not appropriate,” Sharma stated in an interview with The Indian Sun. “Every Indian knows at least three languages — their mother tongue, Hindi and English. Almost all have a working knowledge of Hindi, but it is not recorded.”
He highlights a common scenario where an individual may nominate Punjabi as their primary language spoken at home but also regularly use and comprehend Hindi. This pattern, he argues, extends to speakers of Gujarati and other Indian languages. “You may write Gujarati as your home language, but the reality is that many people speak a mixture of Gujarati, Hindi and English,” Sharma explained.
The communal role of Hindi, or Hindustani, is often overlooked in official statistics. Dr. Sharma points out that it frequently serves as a common language at Indian community events, temples, during consumption of Indian media like films and sports, and when interacting with visiting Indian leaders. In these contexts, Hindi bridges linguistic divides between Indians from various backgrounds.
Furthermore, Dr. Sharma raises concerns about how the Census accounts for households where partners possess different linguistic backgrounds. “A husband and wife may use two different languages. Why should one influence the other?” he queried, suggesting the current approach oversimplifies complex family dynamics.
The implications of this statistical blind spot, according to Sharma, are substantial. Census data is a critical tool for governments and organizations in understanding community needs and allocating resources, including language services. If the multilingual abilities of Australians are not accurately reflected, there is a risk that policy decisions and service provisions may not align with the community’s actual linguistic landscape.
While government agencies typically rely on individual Census responses for language statistics, Dr. Sharma contends that the flaw lies not with the respondents but with the question itself. He believes it is impossible for individuals to provide a comprehensive answer when the query allows for only a limited portrayal of their daily language use.
Dr. Sharma is urging the Indian-Australian community to initiate a discussion on this matter and collectively advocate for a more nuanced approach to recognizing multilingualism in future Census surveys. He emphasizes that his objective is not to diminish the importance of Punjabi, Gujarati, or any other Indian language, but rather to acknowledge Hindi’s role as a unifying language for many.
“Hindi is the language that connects many languages,” Sharma affirmed. He concludes that the core issue transcends competition between Indian languages; it is about ensuring Australia’s Census accurately mirrors the evolving and increasingly multilingual communities it seeks to understand.
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