English is not a foreign language in India
Dr. Tejinder Singh Rawal
In a discussion among a group
of people coming from Kohima, Ludhiana, Thiruvananthapuram, and Mumbai, the
language that everybody is likely to speak is the English language. No other
language- Hindi included- comes closer to English in handling multi-regional situations.
English serves as the link language between people coming from diverse
backgrounds. While, it may be the first language of a small population, it is
the second language of a large number of people. The penetration of English is
increasing in the rest of the population also, thanks to Internet and
smartphones. To say that English is a foreign language not relevant for India
is closing the eyes to the ground reality.
Administration of a vast
country would not have been possible but for the common language, English, and
that is the reason why the Imperial language continues to be the language of the Government, and of the Courts, and of business in India. In
a country with 23 official languages and more than 4000 dialects, it would be
foolish to deny the importance of English. English has a special status in the
Parliament, broadcasting, journalism and education system in India. Even in the
Hindi heartland, the conversation between two natives is likely to have a
profuse use of English words. English is the language of social empowerment.
For the young India it is the expressway to success- you don’t need to wander
through the narrow lanes of regionalism and may reach your destination faster
taking the English expressway.
International importance of
English is undeniable. India could never have become the back office hub and
the IT service provider for the world if we were not proficient in English.
Macaulay’s purpose of introducing English in India was “we must at present do
our best to form a class of persons Indian in blood and colour and English in
taste, opinions, in morals and in intellect,” English would have served the
interest of the masters in the Raj days, but has over the years –more so after
the independence- made English a part of cultural heritage of our country. Interestingly, the very language that was
supposed to create obedient babus,
opened the floodgates of Western education in India, exposing Indians to French
Revolution, and the idea of liberty, equality and fraternity. Slogans like
“Simon go back” and “Quit India” were at the core of India’s freedom struggle.
Countries like China and
Japan lost in the IT race to India, because of the language edge that India has
over them. I was surprised to find during my visit to a university in Shanghai that the faculties were brought in
from UK and USA, who did not know
Mandarin or Cantonese. This was done to take the students to a situation where
they were left with no alternative to
speaking English. China pays handsome salaries to English teachers, Japanese,
tired of facing scarcity of English speakers have introduced English as a
compulsory language in primary schools, and Russia is already using English as
a working language. They realise the
importance of English for international business. India seems to treat it as ghar ki murgi.
A positive attitude towards
the English is essential for integrating India to the world, and in integrating
Indians together. Let mother tongue continue to be the language of expression,
but do not neglect the language of opportunities, language of globalisation and
the language required for the young India to succeed. English should not be
considered as a threat to regional languages. In fact, it should be learnt the
professional way, the way other skills are learnt. A multi-lingual person has
better logical and analytical abilities and is more likely to succeed in a competitive
world.
( The author is a Chartered
Accountant by profession, and a thinker by choice. He can be reached at tsrawal@tsrawal.com )
