Final answer:
The attitudes toward Hindi in India demonstrate a divide where the north embraces Hindi due to its Indo-European linguistic roots, while the south prefers English influenced by its Dravidian heritage and historical trade connections.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Salman Rushdie, the attitudes toward Hindi in India reflect a north-south divide. In the north of India, Hindi is the predominate lingua franca and is widely embraced, having a cultural and linguistic heritage connected to the Indo-European language family. The people in this region are mainly of Indo-Aryan descent. On the other hand, the south of India, with a Dravidian heritage, tends to prefer English as a lingua franca. This preference is influenced by various factors, including ethnic divisions, the spread of Dravidian languages, and trade connections that emphasized English usage.
Over time, these regional preferences have been reinforced by historical migrations, invasion impacts, and cultural exchanges. Northern India has seen a blend of different religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Islam, whereas the south, while still predominantly Hindu, has a significant Christian population along its west coast and shows a more relaxed cultural milieu compared to the competitive north. These dynamics contribute to a complex societal mix within India that maintains the linguistic division between north and south, regarding the use and acceptance of Hindi.