Union Home Minister Amit Shah
Credit: PTI Photo
Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s denunciation of the English language is ill-conceived and uninformed, and will only work against the country’s unity and development. Speaking at the launch of a book by a former civil servant in Delhi on Thursday, Shah said, ‘’The time is not far away for people speaking in English in the country to feel ashamed”. The prejudice against English is part of the ideology and politics of his party, and Shah has only given expression to it. He is right in saying that the languages of our country are the jewels of our culture, but wrong in dismissing the role of English as a linking and unifying language. He is also right in saying that we should take pride in our languages, but pride in one’s own language need not translate into shame about another language. Languages are not zero sum games, and the knowledge of another language does not mean degradation or devaluation of the mother tongue. Languages gain by interaction. All Indian languages have enriched themselves from their interaction with English.
English is spoken by over 100 million people in the country, and the number exceeds the number of speakers of most other languages. It is the official language in many states. India is also said to have the second largest English-speaking population in the world. English has served as the official and link language for centuries in our country, which speaks richly diverse languages. It is difficult to imagine English losing its status in the near future, going by the people’s attitude towards it. The usefulness and popularity of a language don't always depend on government policies. People’s relationship with language is a sensitive matter and governments should handle it with care and caution.
Shah’s tirade against English should also be seen in context of the efforts of the central government and the BJP to promote Hindi aggressively. This has resulted in apprehensions about domination of Hindi in non-Hindi states. English was the language of power in India during colonial times but after the British left, it serves as a link language, with an equal relationship with all languages of the country. The replacement of English would lead to its place being taken up by Hindi, which comes with political baggage. English is also India’s window to the world in every respect, and closing that window would hurt and set the country back. Shah says India cannot be imagined with a foreign language. But the idea of India is not static--it has room for English, which is no longer considered a foreign language.