Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s assertion that English be treated as an Indian language, though welcome, is not something that can be considered as a thought that is novel or out of the box. It is possible to bring a language into an Indian ambit if it is not already there. English, for long, has been in the domain of India as an important link language in different realms of the lives of the civil society, and the administration too, besides being an official language since colonial times.
The currency notes that almost every Indian handles on a daily basis, in spite of the increasing use of digital transactions, have English and Hindi, the official languages, on the front of the currency. On the reverse side are printed 15 of the 22 scheduled languages. Does that not reflect the importance given to English, whereby it certainly occupies a place of pride along with Hindi, over and above the scheduled languages?
Quantity And Quality
Being one of the two official languages in the midst of the tremendous regional and linguistic diversity of India is something that needs to be emphasised and celebrated too. There is no doubt at all that in India, English has indeed come a long way, literally as well as metaphorically. Given the above, we need not harbour any doubts at all as regards the primacy that is given to English in India. Of course, what can be debated and brought into focus is the way English is ‘treated’ in India, both in terms of ‘quantity’ of use as well as the ‘quality’ of its use.
Based on the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), linguistic sates were carved out in India in 1956, dissolving the erstwhile divisions of the country into presidencies and princely states. Not just from then on, but even prior to that in the various regions and zones of India, the regional languages have had predominance; and the efforts of the SRC provided a further boost to the regional languages and gave a place on the pedestal of linguistic association with each of the states that came into being subsequent to the SRC endorsement.
A Ubiquitous Desire
Under such circumstances each state evolved its own way in which to ‘treat’ English. Also, to be brought in here is the central government stance and attitude in the kind of attempts it has made after Independence, and the ways in which it has tried to, what many states considered as, imposition of Hindi as a ‘national’ language. The perception of many states, more so in the south, has been that any attempt to bring in Hindi has been at the cost of the regional languages and to promote Hindi as a link language by replacing, or totally sidelining English.
In the northern and central states people had no issues and welcomed the idea of having Hindi in their administrative affairs, as Hindi already prevailed there. In such a situation there was hardly any place for English, and it shows even today. But in the southern states (as also in the North East), as can be seen in the contemporary period too, English has remained, and has in fact thrived as a link language.
But all over India, irrespective of the class divide, there is a ubiquitous desire to acquire proficiency, to some degree at least, in English. Parents of school-going children give utmost priority to the medium in which their children are learning and before even giving the name of the school, what is invariably revealed is that the children go to an ‘English Medium School’. This desire, perhaps, is not met in terms of the quality of English leaning that is happening, but that is an issue that is confined not just to our schools but afflicts also our higher education, even up to the doctorate level!
Opening Doors
Subsequent to the 1991 opening up of the economy, and globalisation, there has been a steady but sure process of cosmopolitanisation in India. In coming years this is going to increase, and there is no way in which processes like globalisation and cosmopolitanisation can be arrested. A concomitant feature of these processes has been, and will continue to be, the use and importance that English will have.
It will be at India’s peril if attempts of any sort are made to thwart the natural progression that English has had. This has been evident in the international scenario too where Indian students and workers have scored over others from Asia and elsewhere due to at least their efficient handling of English, if not complete proficiency. Needless to emphasise, more slots and opportunities at the national and global level, on a regular basis, will keep opening up for those who utilise and handle English in a better way than the others.
What needs to be done is to lift English from the neglected morass and improve the way it is taught, on the one hand, and to constantly monitor the learning outcomes. The latter aspect, that is, of learning outcomes, has not been given any significant importance or any significant thought in our educational set up. It is high time it was done.
Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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