Srinagar, Sept. 14 -- There are certain dates in the history of India's Constitution-making that cannot be viewed merely as dates on a calendar. Namely, 12, 13 and 14 September 1949 are three such dates. During these three days, the Constituent Assembly held a decisive debate on an issue that concerned more than the language of official business. The question was: In what language would independent India hear and speak the voice of its governance? Would English, the language of colonial rule, continue in independent India? Would Hindi be made the Official Language of the Union? If Hindi was to be adopted, what kind of Hindi would it be-Sanskritised Hindi, Urdu-influenced Hindustani, or some broader form combining the two? Would the Devana...