The role of English language in India's progress

The role of English language in India's progress

Between your mother, and mother tongue,
whom will you choose?

India, Bharat, Aryavrat (Aryavarta), no matter what we call our glorious land, she will always continue to be our mother, our beloved, our protector. Since long before history was even composed, our ancestors had dwelled in this beautiful land of rivers, hills, valleys, woods and plains. India is truly worthy of being hailed as a goddess. Know my friends, that above all religions, above all languages, above all barriers such as castes and gender, is your country. This is applicable to everyone, non-Indians included. But since I'm myself an Indian, I'd like to focus on my country instead.

Modern India began her glorious journey into the uncertainty of future on the sacred day of 15th August, 1947. Since then, together we've combated many challenges, ranging from external threats such as 1962 Sino-Indian border conflict and 1971 Indo-Pak war, to internal problems such as Khalistan insurgency, shortage of food and water, poor constructions and even poorer healthcare. Today, I can proudly say that we've together defeated many of those problems, those very 'ghosts' that haunted the dreams of Mother India. Today, in 2013, we can rightly claim to have world-class facilities, great cities such as Calcutta, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Hyderabad and many more, and above all, the educated young men who have raised their voice against corruption, against rape, against tyrrany and oppression, against religious fanaticism, against lack of education and healthcare. But many more challenges, new ones, await us.

We are one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and yet thousands in our country die of hunger. Our medical facilities have skyrocketed, yet millions die of dengue and malaria in our metropolitan cities. Our scientists have successfully launched the PSLV for the 22nd time, and yet broken roads are a common sight in the villages. We stand united against Chinese and Pakistani aggression, and yet languages, religions and castes divide us.

The last time the entire nation stood together, hand in hand in 1947, we truly changed the map of the world. And on that very day, on that Friday, 15th of August 1947, a goddess was born in front of our very eyes, modern India, the incarnation of the immortal spirit of India. And she wielded her glorious trident and flaming sword, protecting us from all evils. Her shield warded off savage attacks by anti-Indians everywhere, and together we've covered such a long journey. But indeed, a longer one awaits us.

My brothers and sisters from all over India, I used to think that I am Anirban Chatterjee, a Bengali hailing from Calcutta, one of the highest ranks of the Brahminic class. But today, I realize how wrong I was. My true identity lies in the fact that I am the son of twin mothers, mother nature and mother India. I am Anirban Chatterjee, and I am an Indian, proud to be so. For long have we stood weakened, trembling before the gigantic height of problems, in darkness and in cold. But finally, the day has come for us to unite.

We are a divided lot, everywhere. For example, few people here in Bengal see themselves as Indians more than they see themselves as Bengalis. What is Bengal? Bengal is a part of the holy land we call India. So, there's no Bengali, no Bihari, no Marathi, no Punjabi, no Tamil. There's only one ethnicity, and that is, we're all Indians. We are all brothers and sisters, because we are the children of one mother, Mother India. Will you people not accept this elegant and beautiful truth? Will you rather stay separated, thanks to those artificial boundaries we've desivsed among ourselves? Those lingual barriers, those 'cultural' complexes, those 'Bengal is superior to everyone else, lol!' or 'Punjabis are the highest blood in India and lets get seperated to form Khalistan, lol' things? Remember, my brothers, our strength lies in our unity. And no matter how much beautiful or logical those words 'Unity in diversity' sound to you, I believe we can never stay united unless we totally shrug off our diverse feelings.

The power of English in making us
a better, stronger and richer nation.

And one of the many things that seperate us is language. Jawaharlal Nehru, our first Prime Minister, once famously declared "English is the glue that has kept India united, what it is". English is our official language, and yet thousands and millions in our country don't speak English. The problem, as wisely pointed out by a Russian friend of mine, is the lack of 'exposure' to English. People simply prefer to speak their 'mother tongues', such as Bengali, Hindi and Tamil rather than English. The result? Lingual differences result into differences in terms of culture and practices. In Maharashtra, Biharis and Jharkhandis are being made to flee. In Assam, the Bangal-kheda Andalan caused the death of thousands of Bengalis. In Bengal, Uttar Pradeshis and Biharis are looked down upon, and many Punjabis gladly join us Bengalis in that. I used to think similarly, once upon a time. But people learn from their mistakes, and thus I have learned too. I have learned to see India as ONE NATION, WITH ONE FLAG, ONE LANGUAGE AND ONE PEOPLE. And English can serve that purpose.

There are three questions that arise, relative to this statement. Number one, English is a foreign language spoken by the very people who once killed thousands of Indians, enslaved India and robbed our country for years and years. Why should we then speak in English? The answer is there, be with me on that.

When I was young, I heard my mother say many a times that while she disliked the Englishmen or England as a country (because of British Imperialism and racism), she definitely respected English as one of the finest languages of humanity. Bankimchandra Chatterjee, possibly the greatest writer India has ever seen beside Rabindranath Tagore, used to think similarly. In his immortal and immaculate novel Anandamath, Chatterjee wrote that while British imperialism is our enemy and we must fight it, we can also learn a lot from them. Why did England, a country of not more than 2.5 crore people (then) manage to 'enslave' India? First, they were united, we weren't. Second, they were really more advanced compared to us in many ways. And thus, English is the magical language that gives us all access to science. And there's no 'western science' or 'eastern science', because the laws of science are applicable equally everywhere. Science is what India needs, and English can grant us that access to science, the lack of which caused us to get enslaved.

People may be evil, but languages aren't. And thus, English is a much more advantageous language for us all to speak. English will give us access to a much wider global market for our movies, writings and cultural talents. English will give us 'exposure' that we need, to the outside world. English will shorten the gap between India and the more scientifically advanced 'west', finally bridging up the same. Using English, we can stay more connected, and we'll be able to express ourselves more efficiently to the west, and to other countries. For example, many Bengali writings, worthy of being awarded the Nobel prize, weren't even considered for the nomination. The reason? Lingual barrier. Now see, what Chetan Bhagat or Amish Tripathi's English writings have in stock for us. They help us look more 'civilized' in the eyes of the world, makes the rest of the world familiar with Indian culture and values, and also, makes money in other parts of the world. English is thus a great tool that we can use to fasten our growth.

The lack of English, the lack of education

The second question may be, why English? We already have Hindi! But think about it for a moment. Hindi is understood in most parts of North India, but what about the northeast or south India? Around 40% people speak Hindi, making it the most widely spoken language in India, but globally, the percentage of Hindi is much smaller. And using the same argument, since 40% Indians speak Hindi, we can say that 60% don't! Thus, English is always a better choice for 'connecting' India.

The third question might be, that what will happen to the vast literature that happens to be a part of many Indian languages? The answer is simple, we won't be forgetting our mother tongues anytime soon. And finally, we'd be able to translate them all into English. I myself, being a Bengali, am sufficiently familiar with Bengali and Hindi literature, but seriously, I don't even have any idea of what Tamil or Kannada literature even 'looks' like. Thus, switching to English will give

1. Domestic exposure to our literature, making everyone read and understand the local culture of other parts of the country, thus making us more and more united.

2. International exposure, using which we will be able to 'market' our content more efficiently, getting more recognition and honour, that Americans and Englishmen enjoy.

And new literature will continue to be created in English.

English gives us the confidence to protest,
the confidence to stand firm and united,
the confidence to make India a better country.

English can even help us combat corruption and rape. People like Ram Singh, if properly exposed to English, might have been able to see things differently. Primal and carnal urges in human beings can't be fought unless we have proper education. And English can grant us that education we need. Education alone can reduce crimes against women. Incidents like Delhi bus-rape will gradually become rarer and rarer as we all will propagate English more efficiently.

English will help people use the internet more efficiently, thus digitally connecting India. It will give more confidence to people from all classes, and people will learn to use their citizenship and human rights more successfully. Ignorance leads to fear, and fear is utilized by criminals and corrupted politicians and officials to keep Indians oppressed. But things are bound to change!

Finally, English will make the entire governmental framework of India more stability. No longer will there be any need to continuously go on translating a government notice in several languages. Simply one language will help us all.

What we can achieve, using modern science. Shown here is the
Dumdum Airport, Kolkata

English will also make people from different states friendlier towards one another. Believe me, the psychology of human beings uses language as an essential tool to detect the behavioral stance of other humans. Often, the way Punjabis speak might seem offensive to Biharis. Similarly, residents of Jharkhand might say things that might seem otherwise vulgar to Bengalis. And not to mention the tremendous language divine between north and south India. But English will minimize those problems.

English alone has the potential to make India get what she deserves. Without English, India risks getting more and more divided. In his novel 'River of Gods', McCellan portrays the India of 2047 to have been divided into multiple smaller countries, Awadh, Bharat, Joint states of Bengal, Decan and Kerala. Finally, Awadh and Bharat are shown to be fighting, with Bharat finally losing because of American aid to Awadh, and Awadh's technological superiority. A single partition created Pakistan, severely damaging India and weakening our resources. Pakistan continues to be a problem even today. So imagine, if such language differences (and therefore cultural differences) lead to further partitioning of India, where will we stand? We are strong, we are among the top 8 military powers of the world, because we are still united. But a divided India, broken into further smaller states, will be weakened one. In future, if this unthinkably sad incident happens, the otherwise peaceful Indian subcontinent will turn into a battleground. Would you rather want to see, my brothers and sisters, a diplomatic war between Kolkata and Mumbai, or between New Delhi and Chennai? Or a military conflict between north and south Indias?

Thus, English will help us stand strong and united. It will not put an end to our culture, mind you. For example, I used to think that the beautiful verses of the Vedas, of tremendous poetic value, will get deteriorated if we translate them into English. Instead, the opposite happened. The English Vedas are poetic as well, and they enjoy the additional benefit of being read by people from all over the world. The number of Indologists has been increasing in the west, and many of them actually respect the history and culture of India. Thus, English is our friend, our sword, our tool.

May the Mother bless me, and all of us
to make India a better place to be.
Bharat Mata ki Jai!

You might be asking now, how may we, individually, propagate English? The answer is simple, use English more, everywhere. Do not use transliterated version of your mother tongue while updating your facebook status, instead use English. Even if you're not very proficient with English, don't be afraid. Human beings make mistakes, and by making mistakes we continue to learn. Practise speaking in English more and more, make English an element of your personal style, express yourself in English more fluently to your friends and in your social circles. Social networking sites can greatly boost this process of propagation of English, and use them rightly.

England might have once been the enemy of India, but English, as a language, had never done us any harm. Instead, it has turned us more confident, more sophisticated and more scientifically advanced. Thus, be sure to express your graditude to English, and be sure to propagate English everywhere. Remember, my brothers and sisters, and whenever you are doing that, no matter where or to what extent, you're serving Mother India.

Jai Bharat, all hail Mother India!