MR Lalu
The discourse on how to unseat the prominence, dominance, and influence of English within the present nationalistic ambiance of India began soon after the Modi regime came to power. Since 2014, centers of power, through a host of ideological arguments, have consistently made this issue a subject of national debate; yet the impact of such discourse did not surface vigorously. However, some credible and long-term efforts to challenge the dominance of English as the most influential language have begun to create a discernible undercurrent.
The NEP 2020 was one such impactful initiative, an attempt to elevate India’s linguistic pluralism to a new pedestal of recognition. The education policy accorded great importance to all local Indian languages, and their introduction in the early learning experiences of children was among its most significant and lasting decisions.
Above all, the chief propagator of India’s envisioned transition into a nationalistic and patriotic community was the Prime Minister himself. He has consistently maintained that the country cannot continue to promote the very language that was once used to create, in Macaulay’s words, “a class of persons Indian in blood and color, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.” Thomas Babington Macaulay’s plan was to keep the Indian landscape under the continuous dominance of colonialists, fully aware that language could hold generations in mental subservience even after the British had formally withdrawn. He believed this to be a perennial investment; one that would endure for centuries and help his line of colonizers to succeed.
Languages undeniably hold the power to preserve and even shape a country’s civilizational ethos. English, for well-known reasons, possessed the capacity not only to influence but also to perpetuate a servile mindset and intellectual dependency on the West. This being one side of the linguistic dilemma, there is also another dimension to it. English has undoubtedly influenced the Indian populace, and the new nationalistic impulse seeks to discredit this influence, if not entirely, at least to a significant extent. That is understandable. However, the other side of the issue deserves greater attention and acknowledgment.
English, as a language, has played a crucial role in carrying India’s spiritual heritage beyond its borders. For instance, consider the profoundly impactful spiritual outreach of Swami Vivekananda in the West. His historic sessions at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago epitomized the depth and universality of India’s spiritual wealth. Soon after his first address, the American media hailed him as one of the most eloquent and electrifying speakers. One report even went so far as to praise his address as exemplary in its linguistic expression, vocabulary, and cultural resonance. This was yet another moment when the West publicly regretted having once sent missionaries to “civilize” a nation that had produced intellectual giants such as Vivekananda.
Among the many reasons why the Mahatma of India decided to nominate Jawaharlal Nehru as his political successor was, indeed, the latter’s proficiency in English. Although mentioned only vaguely, historians have often assumed this to be one of the factors that led Gandhi to choose Nehru over Sardar Patel. For the future of a politically infant India, Gandhi is reported to have believed that Nehru and his command of English would be an asset.
“The colonial mindset,” Prime Minister Modi insisted, must go. He stated that it has been derailing the present generation from understanding the cultural background that we once preserved, propagated, and practiced. India witnessed the Prime Minister invoking his five pledges in one of his Independence Day speeches. According to the government’s declaration, its plan was to shed the remnants of the colonial legacy- a process, it insisted, that would be continuous.
In line with its intention to rid the country of the remnants of colonial influence, Modi renamed the iconic Rajpath and the Central Vista lawns as Kartavya Path. Rajpath, though a Hindi term, had an English equivalent, “Kingsway,” which was named in honor of King George V. While unveiling the new ensign of the Indian Navy, Modi remarked that it “removed the traces of slavery and a colonial past.” The Cross of King George was replaced with an ensign inspired by the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Modi continued to maintain this stance. The renaming of Race Course Road to Lok Kalyan Marg was another example. Installing Netaji’s statue in the canopy where a statue of King George V once stood was also a symbolic step. Yet the most significant change, many believe, was the introduction of education in the mother tongue through the NEP 2020, hailed as truly futuristic.
What Modi did was accentuate the need for Indians to remain rooted in their cultural legacy. This, he said, would revive a large part of our lost cultural identity. A common norm among the English-speaking elite in India is to deliberately undervalue Indian culture, language, and scientific traditions. The British colonial establishment had indeed dismantled our ancient education system, which had survived for centuries through numerous gurukuls. Macaulay’s controversial “Downward Filtration Theory” advocated the creation of a class of Indians who would admire all that was English and remain loyal and servile to the Raj.
However, none of this justifies the apparent attempts of expulsion of the English language from the Indian mind. English, with its obvious power of stylish vocabulary and refined expression, has become a powerful communication tool in India. From village schools to job seekers in cities, English has emerged as the language of the aspirational minds. Should English be thrown into the dustbin? How impractical it would be to render it insignificant in a country as diverse as India. Its removal would further deepen the functional gap among local languages, which lack a strong linking medium. Hindi, for various reasons, has failed to gain acceptance in certain southern states, especially Tamil Nadu.
English is no longer a foreign language in India; Indian English is gaining prominence across the globe with its distinct intonation and usage. Undoubtedly, the Macaulay mindset must go. But the language itself holds immense potential to connect India with the rest of the world, even if Indian English is not always “apt” or “accurate.” What must change, as the Prime Minister emphasizes, is the mindset. While embracing English alongside India’s linguistic plurality, we must also learn to preserve and practice all that constitutes our cultural heritage.
(Author is freelance journalist and social worker based in Kerala. The views expressed are personal opinion of the author.)
