Hinglish has become mainstream: Novelist Shobhaa De

Thimphu: The lingering colonial mindset is the reason why some still use the "outdated and archaic" Queen's English in India, argues novelist Shobhaa De as she continues to put her weight behind 'Hinglish' describing it as a more effective way of communication.

Speaking here on Sunday at the ongoing 13th edition of "Bhutan Echoes: Drukyul's Literature Festival", De, widely credited with having given birth to Hinglish, said the whole beauty of a language is its fluidity and she started using Hindi and other languages -- including Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati and even Tamil -- with English because that is how people speak in India.

"We are not Charles Dickens and I am not Jane Austen, I write the way I speak and I started to use these words with a great deal of deliberation because I just felt it was a better way to communicate more effectively. It is a street speak that's how people here around us speak."

"It delights me when the word that I have used pops up in a conversation. Hinglish has gone mainstream. Most of our big publications and newspapers use Hinglish in the headlines, which was unthinkable before," said the bestselling novelist in a session, titled "Hinglish and High Society".

Hinglish is a fusion language derived from Hindi and English.

The 76-year-old author recalled the times she was criticised over usage of Hinglish in her books and columns, and how even now the loyalists in India refuse to let go of the old and archaic Queen's English -- courtesy the British hangover.

"The Queen's English is such an old, outdated and archaic way of expression that even Britishers won't write that anymore. But the loyalists in India and the ones with the British hangover continue to write in a way that they just refuse to let go of their whole colonial mindset," she added.

The celebrated author of over 20 books, comprising both fiction and non-fiction, also praised her home city Mumbai, which accepts individuals for who they are without any baggage either of caste, influence or lineage.

To explain her point, she compared Mumbai to other major metro cities such as Delhi and Kolkata, which she noted are obsessed with power and lineage, respectively.

"Or people in South India, who are obsessed with caste. No one in Mumbai cares. It is very casteless... In Mumbai everybody has a chance at visibility. What you represent, what you stand for as an individual is what will be respected. So Mumbai is terrific on that score, it is just so equal," she noted.

With insightful conversations, captivating stories, and cultural experiences, the three-day festival is being held at Royal University of Bhutan under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Gyalyum Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck.

Former diplomat and author Navtej Sarna, poet Tishani Doshi, children's author Roopa Pai, Ambassador of France to India Thierry Mathou, Korean writer-translator Anton Hur, Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary and bestselling author Ashwani Sanghi are among the many speakers featuring in the festival.

The festival will come to a close on August 5.