The case for English in India
Language is politics by other means in India. Which is why Union home minister Amit Shah's clarification that the Centre is not opposed to any foreign language is significant. In the same vein, he added that 'there should be an urge to glorify one's own language'. A few days earlier, Shah had lit a small political fire with his remarks that 'those who speak English will soon be ashamed'. This remark was interpreted by Opposition leaders as a backdoor attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speakers. The BJP has always been in favour of making Hindi the official language of the country and eliminating the use of English, a potentially explosive issue in the non-Hindi-speaking states of southern India. Now, Maharashtra, again a state that has a history of strong linguistic identity, has become restive over the BJP-led government's move to introduce Hindi as a language from primary classes. India's founding fathers saw the opportunity in English proficiency and encouraged its use, without discriminating against local languages. (HT Photo)
The case for English in India is simple. First, it is the language of opportunity and economic mobility. Second, it is also the language of aspiration, a secular means to become urban and modern, and possibly, transcend the chains of caste and class. And, third, it is the word of the world, and the passport to the world of ideas. In the case of India, it has been a convenient link language immune to the legacies of local dominance. This is the reason the founding fathers of the republic, who fought the British, found no reason to outlaw the language in independent India. In fact, they saw the opportunity in English proficiency and encouraged its use, without discriminating against local languages. In the process, English has been well assimilated within Indian society to the extent that it may have lost its foreignness. It is no longer perceived as the language of economic and cultural imperialism, but as a vehicle that has enabled India's rise as a knowledge power. That's why China is encouraging English learning.
Does this mean a rejection of Indian languages? Certainly not. Much of India is bilingual, if not trilingual, and is likely to remain so. As per Census 2011, only 259,000 people reported English as their mother tongue or first language, but 83 million said it was their second language. In comparison, over 520 million called Hindi their first language as compared to 55 million for Gujarati. These numbers hardly suggest a threat from English to Hindi or any Indian language.
As for Indian languages, state governments could promote local languages. In fact, the Centre should call off its push to promote Hindi nationally and disperse the funds to states to promote local languages. This is important as local languages are repositories of cultural inheritance. However, the choice of learning a language should be left to citizens. It should also be kept in mind that the growth of English in India has happened without too much State patronage: People embrace it because of its economic utility. Languages that cease to be of transactional value face the threat of losing their prominence even in their motherland; no amount of polemics or policy imposition can rescue them. For instance, a report in this newspaper last week showed that the government spent ₹ 2,532.59 crore on the promotion of Sanskrit between 2014-15 and 2024-25 — 17 times the combined spending of ₹ 147.56 crore on the other five classical Indian languages, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. But there's little to show for this.
A nuanced policy that does not privilege or discriminate against, any language is the sensible option for India.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
39 minutes ago
- The Print
Shivraj seconds Hosabale's call for review of insertion of secularism, socialism in Preamble
'Secularism is not the core of our culture. That is why there should indeed be a discussion about it. The word 'secularism' was added during the Emergency—there should be deliberation on removing it,' Chouhan said to a question on whether these terms should be removed from the Preamble. These words, according to the senior BJP leader, were not part of India's civilisational ethos and had been inserted during the 1975 Emergency. New Delhi: After Dattatreya Hosabale of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined the bandwagon demanding a rethink on the relevance of the words secularism and socialism in the Constitution. In Varanasi, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare also described India as 'an ancient and great nation' founded on the principle of Sarva Dharma Sambhav—equal respect for all faiths. He emphasised that India, as a civilisation, has long upheld religious harmony and mutual respect across traditions. 'This is the India that, not today but thousands of years ago, said 'Ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti'—Truth is one, the wise call it by many names,' he said, quoting ancient scripture to underline India's pluralistic tradition. 'This is the India that says 'Munde munde matir bhinna'—every mind is different. It respects differing thoughts and forms of worship.' Citing Swami Vivekananda's historic speech in Chicago, Chouhan added, 'No matter which path you follow, ultimately all lead to the same supreme truth.' A day earlier, Hosabale had forcefully argued for reviewing the inclusion of secularism and socialism in the Constitution. The RSS general secretary said the two terms were inserted into the Preamble during the Emergency—bypassing public debate—and were not part of the Constitution originally drafted by Chouhan also questioned the relevance of socialism in contemporary India, asserting that Indian philosophy already embodies egalitarian values through its ancient teachings. 'Atmavat sarvabhuteshu—to see oneself in all beings—is India's fundamental thought. The entire world is one family—this is India's spirit. Live and let live, let there be goodwill among living beings, let the world be well,' he said. 'Sarve bhavantu sukhinah, sarve santu niramayah—may all be happy, may all be free of illness—this is India's true sentiment. That's why we don't need socialism,' Chouhan said. 'We've been saying it for years—Sia Ram may sab jag jani—see everyone as one and the same. There is no need for imposed socialism.' The nation, the Union Minister said, must seriously reflect on this (removal of secularism and socialism from the Constitution. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: 'Mask comes off' as RSS wants 'Manusmriti', says Rahul on call to drop 'secular' from Constitution
The Print
39 minutes ago
- The Print
BJP ally AIADMK distances itself from Amit Shah's remark that Tamil Nadu will get ‘coalition govt'
In an interview with Daily Thanthi Group Friday, Amit Shah said, 'National Democratic Alliance will certainly form the government, and the BJP will be part of it.' Responding to a question about who would be the chief ministerial candidate, Amit Shah told the newspaper that the BJP will contest the polls under the leadership of the AIADMK. 'The chief minister will be from the AIADMK,' he clarified to the Daily Thanthi Group, but at the same time, did not name AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the CM candidate. The AIADMK insists that it will govern alone. Tamil Nadu has not seen a coalition government since 1967. New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reiterated that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form a government in Tamil Nadu and that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be its part after the 2026 state elections, reigniting tensions between the BJP and its ally All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). It is not the first time that Amit Shah has declared that Tamil Nadu will get a coalition government. On 11 April 2025, when he was in Chennai to revive the AIADMK-BJP ties, he said, 'A coalition government will be formed after the elections,' adding that Edappadi K. Palaniswami will be leading the fight in the upcoming polls. To the Daily Thanthi Group, Amit Shah also said that the BJP was not going to create a narrative that the current government in Tamil Nadu was working against the interests of the Hindus. 'We need not make an issue here. If you speak against any ideology, you spontaneously antagonise people. We need not do anything. The people of Tamil Nadu will make them pay for their sins,' he told the newspaper. Also Read: Keezhadi excavator's transfer to Greater Noida won't affect findings—'Only he can submit report' TN will not accept coalition: AIADMK Amit Shah's comments reiterating the formation of a coalition government have sparked tensions as Opposition AIADMK is against power-sharing arrangements. The AIADMK has consistently claimed it will form the government independently. The contradiction has created friction within the BJP-AIADMK alliance, particularly since Amit Shah has avoided naming Edappadi K. Palaniswami as the CM candidate. Speaking to ThePrint, AIADMK spokesperson and ex-minister Vaigaichelvan said the people of the state would not be in favour of a coalition government. He also recalled how such a stand in the past failed in Tamil Nadu. 'In the 1980 assembly election, DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and Congress shared an equal number of seats, proposing a coalition government. However, people of the state rejected the idea of a coalition government and gave a single majority to the AIADMK,' Vaigaichelvan said. Speaking to ThePrint, Tamilisai Soundararajan, former Telangana Governor and ex-president of the BJP, claimed that whatever Amit Shah said was twisted to create confusion within the BJP-AIADMK alliance. 'Home Minister Amit Shah's statements are quite clear. We will fight the elections as an alliance and form the government as an alliance. People are twisting it as a coalition government—which is unwanted,' she said. It was not just in 1980. In 2011, when DMK contested just 119 of 234 assembly seats—just above the majority mark—the DMK-led alliance not only lost the polls but stood third after the Vijayakanth-led Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). In that election, the DMK won just 23 seats while its alliance partner, Congress, secured five, and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) secured three seats. In the 2006 assembly election, the DMK contested as many as 132 seats, and its alliance partners, including Congress, PMK, and Communist parties, contested the remaining seats. DMK won just 96 seats—way below the majority mark—but formed a minority government then, with the external support of its alliance partners. According to political analysts, the state has never been in favour of coalition governments since the Dravidian parties entered the electoral foray in the 1960s. Political analyst N. Sathiyamoorthy told ThePrint that the collective mindset of the state was to have a stable government without any chaos. 'Dravidian parties came to the electoral foray against the national parties. Every time the Dravidian parties came to power, their alliances remained intact and stable. However, whenever an internal feud breaks out in the alliance over sharing power, it is shown the door,' Sathiyamoorthy told ThePrint. 'The state has been witnessing it since the death of former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR). Until the Dravidian parties are strong enough to get a single majority, there is no scope for a coalition government.' Keezhadi pride of country: Amit Shah On the possibility of actor-turned-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) joining the BJP-AIADMK alliance, Amit Shah told the Daily Thanthi Group that there was still enough time before the election. 'Everything will be clear at the right time,' he said. He also said that the political plank of the BJP-AIADMK alliance will be the failure of the DMK government, as well as the success of the Modi government. 'If you analyse the results of the Lok Sabha polls from the prism of the NDA, you will find that the NDA was winning,' he said. Amit Shah, speaking about the Dravidian politics and the social justice and state autonomy ideas of the DMK, clarified that the BJP stance was clear—it never opposed the vision of a prosperous Tamil Nadu, Tamil language, and Tamil culture. Responding to the accusation slapped by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on the Centre—it is trying to obliterate the ancient civilisation in Keezhadi by rejecting a report of archaeologist Amarnath Ramakrishna on his excavations in the Sivaganga district—Amit Shah told the newspaper that an ancient civilisation excavated in any part of India is a matter of pride for the entire country. 'But the world will only accept the existence of the civilisation only if there is evidence, according to the international parameters. I hope the Tamil Nadu government will cooperate. Everyone is proud, and nobody has a problem,' he said. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Sun TV Network, Maran brothers & an old feud. How Dayanidhi-Kalanithi clash was waiting to spill over
The Hindu
39 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Assam, Mizoram draft rules to curb illegal immigration
Two northeastern States have toughened their stand on identification documents to curb unauthorised cross-border movements of Bangladesh and Myanmar nationals. The Assam government has decided to implement a policy to issue Aadhaar cards to adult citizens only through the District Commissioners (DCs) to prevent Bangladeshi nationals from acquiring them, while the Mizoram Government plans to retain the identity cards of Myanmar nationals to regulate movement across the border. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the need to toughen the rules of issuing Aadhaar cards was discussed at the State Cabinet meeting on Friday (June 27, 2025). 'Usually, people who come to Assam and Bharat from Bangladesh [illegally] are adults. Since we have already achieved 100% Aadhaar coverage, we will thoroughly enquire into the applications of new adults,' he told journalists in Guwahati. 'Soon, only the DCs will have the power to issue Aadhaar cards. If such a policy is made, it will be difficult for Bangladeshi people to obtain Aadhaar. Detecting and pushing them back will be easy if they do not possess this document,' he said, hours after announcing that 20 more illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were pushed back. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government has been working on plugging the vulnerabilities of Aadhaar since April, when, Mr. Sarma said, people who did not apply for inclusion in the National Register of Citizens have been barred from getting the unique identification number. In September 2024, he said that four Assam districts had more Aadhaar cardholders than their projected population. Bengali-speaking Muslims are a majority in these districts — Barpeta bordering Bangladesh, Dhubri, Morigaon, and Nagaon. 'We found that 103.74% of the population were issued Aadhaar cards in Barpeta, 103.48% in Dhubri, 101.74% in Morigaon, and 100.68% in Nagaon. Some immigrants definitely managed to take Aadhaar,' the Chief Minister had said. In Aizawl, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma proposed the confiscation of the identity cards of Myanmar nationals who cross over into India frequently, amid the civil war in their country. He came up with this proposal at a meeting with Surinder Bhagat, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and Protector General of Emigrants, at the Chief Minister's Office recently. Acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar forcing many to take refuge in Mizoram, Mr. Lalduhoma said, 'Many refugees are law-abiding, but there are some who continue to cross the border to and from Myanmar, exploiting the ongoing crisis there.' He warned of stern action against those misusing the shelter provided, including the seizure of their Myanmar-issued identity documents. He suggested that such IDs be collected from each Myanmar national for the duration of their stay in Mizoram. The Chief Minister also stated that the government has started collecting biometric data of people entering the State from Myanmar.
