Of language and region

This happened just the past sunday. I innocently went for a team meeting to one of my groupmates place. I have nothing against hindi speaking people. I know one cannot generalize and that generalizations might not hold for everyone. Well, let me narrow this general statement to this, the hindi speaking community here where I live have a strong attitude. It comes to be as a big surprise that these people find it shocking when someone doesn't understand or speak hindi. Coming off as strongly as "I do not consider South Indians as Indians at all" is a big jolt. I do not know whom to blame (or if there is someone to be blamed at all).
Herez both sides of the coin: People I know who do not speak hindi feel:
1. they are fine without knowing hindi
2. even when they try to learn and speak the language, their accent is ridiculed at, which pretty much takes the pleasure out of trying to learn a new language
3. There is not any enthusiasm from the other party to learn their language and they refuse to converse in any other language besides hindi inspite of the fact that it is not understood by all.
The people on the other side of the Tropic of Cancer feel:
1. hindi is the national language and is a MUST for every Indian
2. Since they speak hindi, there is no need for them to learn any other language
3. Only if they continue to speak in hindi even in the prescence of non hindi speaking folks would the nhsfolks make an effort to learn hindi.
I am surprised at the attitude of both the groups. Agreed, I can never take it when some dilty-dolt calls all South Indians as Non Indians (what a nerve!). I do not see the reason why everyone should learn Hindi by compulsion. Given that it is the language spoken by a good number of people in India, but is this the only reason to learn this language? Efforts to spead the word is having a negative effect (trust me, I have seen it in my college in India too!). At the same time, hindi could be learnt for the same reason stated above. In any case, a new language is a new tool for thinking. I wonder how Europe lives in harmony. Atleast in India, we still use English extensively..may be we need a little more lesson on Unity in Diversity.
Mera Desh Mahan
BabelFish
ps: I am learning a new language, I can tell these things help:
1.don't laugh at the accent of the learner. You might sound funnier when you speak their language
2.correct the mistakes, never ridicule it.
3.encourage them to speak in the new language (careful, dont force it!)