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In less than 200 years since its formal introduction as part of a nascent and westernized education system, English has grown to be the medium through which the people of India communicate with the world, and often with one another. In large parts of a country with several major languages, it vies with Hindi—the most commonly used Indian language—as the spoken language of choice. There is a range of ability from a mere smattering of words, to some amount of rudimentary communication, to highly proficient use of the language. Arguably, the number of Indians speaking at least a few words of English, and the contexts in which they do so, continue to grow by the day. The language has a large presence in governance, education, media, and the publishing industry. For instance, the number of English language newspapers registered in India and their circulation figures are second only to those in Hindi. India produces the third largest number of English books in the world, after the USA and UK.
History
The link between Britain and India is an old one, starting around the time of the formation of the East India Company in 1600. The British came initially seeking business opportunities in a wealthy country. Later, they gained control of different regions through alliances, battles, and treaties. Educational efforts commenced with setting up individual schools and progressed to actually implementing formal policies. This was a process that evolved over a period of 150 years. Necessarily, though not without resistance, this involved the spread and growth of English in a territory that had a vast population speaking hundreds of languages, with many having a formal history of at least two thousand years.
The most significant linguistic policy initiative of the British was Thomas Babington Macaulay’s Minute of 1835, which led to the establishment of English as the language of instruction for higher education. This momentous decision paved the way for the eventual entrenchment of English in the country. The proposal met with fierce opposition from a group of highly-placed British officials and Indians. In the end, though, Macaulay prevailed. As a consequence, Indians were rapidly exposed to western ideas, science, law, governance, and, of course, English. By 1857, universities were being set up in the three Presidencies: Bengal, Bombay, and Madras. In 1854, with Sir Charles Wood’s Despatch, school education also benefitted, although the focus was not only on English; the local languages were also given due importance. Macaulay created a job market for people who learned English, with the aim of meeting the administrative needs of the British; this same skill is now the gateway for Indians to compete for the best jobs, globally.
English and the struggle for freedom
When the Indian National Congress was formed in 1885 to fight for India’s freedom preference for membership was initially, and perhaps ironically, given to those who spoke English. By 1920, however, Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership ensured that Indian languages were given primacy; this coincided with the British government handing over the Education Department to be managed by Indian officials. The debate over abandoning English altogether, and replacing it with Hindi/Hindustani, was a low-key, parallel narrative to the struggle for freedom. As independence drew closer, there was an attempt to have Hindi declared as the national language, while the Constituent Assembly was holding deliberations to frame the Constitution. The proposal was watered down to official language status in the Constitution of India which was adopted in 1950, three years after independence in 1947.
Official status and usage
Under Article 343 of the Constitution of India, English gets the status of an associate official language, the official language being Hindi. However, the higher legal system, federal legislative processes, and the bulk of higher education are all still carried out in English. This dichotomy of preference vis-à-vis the language has never gone away. The first generation of Indians who were formally educated in English also became the standard bearers of the independence movement. Even before independence was achieved, the next generation was deeply involved in the creation of the United Nations and various global institutions.
English has always been an aspirational language, with a great deal of material progress and prestige associated with it. The status accorded to English in education and governance has however remained uncertain. Several commissions have been set up to study this matter and attempts to dilute the pre-eminence of English have occurred in various regions. It is, by and large, a second language to most of its users. However, for those in the cities and in the professions, it is the language of choice for commerce, for education, and for social interaction. The underprivileged and the lower classes see it as the language of emancipation and often invest in getting an English education. From the middle of the 19th century, India and Indians first accessed the knowledge base of the West, especially in the sciences, through English. Today, India is known as the world’s back-office in information technology and is an integral part of the global knowledge economy.
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