FUTURE OF ENGLISH IN INDIA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23024, 15 August 1949, Page 6

FUTURE OF ENGLISH IN INDIA

(By a Reuter Correspondent) BOMBAY. A question mark hangs over the fill ure of the English language in India. Indian politicians, selioli ars and philosophers have been | busy for the last several months, 'arguing on the merits and demerits of the continuance of English as the official and state language of the nation. Two hundred years of British rule made India the leading English-know-ing nation in Asia. According to unofficial estimates, one in every ten Indians can speak, read and write English. It was the English language that brought together this vast multilingual nation in its struggle to break away from British rule. With the advent of independence, India is on the lookout for a language to replace English in the public services and in the higher educational institutions. The search lias resulted in a long-drawn-out controversy. Many suggestions have been advanced— Hindi, Hindustani, Romanised Hindustani and others. Sanskrit Eulogised Some prominent academicians have eulogised the claims of Sunskrit as the national language. All this has left the nation's leaders in a quandary, Regional languages, provincial languages, national language, the script of the state language—these other vital issues claim urgent decisions as the general demand for the substitution of English by the “mother tongue" gathers momentum throughout India. Several provincial governments have decided to adopt Hindi for official and educational purposes, replacing English. Others have introduced the regional languages in schools and colleges as mediums of instruction. There is unanimity of agreement, however, that English cannot be replaced overnight. English Language Meantime Dr Paltabhi Sitarmayya, president of the Indian National Congress, has said: “For the present we may have to be content with our Constitution written and passed in English. In due course, the technical language of our future Lingua Franca will become understood and easy and acquire that precision and dignify which the language of law and constitution demands. To precipitate matters in the meantime would be to seek forcibly to ripen a raw fruit.” Tilok, Cokhale. Ranada —heroes of India’s freedom struggle—considered English as “tigress milk.” It was in English that Tilak said: “Puma Swaraj (complete independence) is my birthright and 1 shall have it.” It was in English that Mahatma Gandhi gave his twin slogan of “Quit India” and “Do or Die ”

Those English-language slogans fanned the flame of Indian nationalism into an irresistable inferno that was quenched only on August 15, 1947. Some philologists refer to this as one of the many aspects of the usefulness of English in those days. They say it will fake considerable time before Hindi or Hindustani exoressions are evolved as equivalent to industrial, administrative, political, social, scientific, artistic and technical terms in English. They suggest that the change-over should be gradual and steady. One school of thought has expressed the opinion that as an international language and for the advancement of India's technical knowledge. English is •’ndispensable. They say: “The British system of government, medicine, calendar. law and sense of justice, have a strong hold on India. There cannot he a sudden wench from the past for that will spell only a intellectual black-out.” Remarkable Growth The English language, as spoken in India, has grown remarkably. It has drawn liberally from regional Indian languages and the vocabulary has been enriched b.y such fresh addition. A foreignei arriving in India for the first time may be accosted by a driver, a rickshaw puller, or a porter speaking broken English. He knows at least three more languages—two regional languages and Hindustani. India’s Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, is considered one of the best writers of the world in the English language. The noted American author. John Gunther, said: “There are hardly seven persons in the British Empire who can wrote as Nehru docs.” The war has at least shown the value of propaganda and English, as a medium widely understood, will be helpful, to say the least.

The late Mr. V. S. Srinivasa Shastri was another Indian mastes of the English language. When he was addressing a meeting in South Africa —he was then India's Agent-General there —an Afrikander remarked: “I never knew the beauty of the English language till I heard Mr. Shastri.” The Indian Government's “steel-frame" —the Indian administrative service—is steeped in English, English methods and traditions. They agree that India may have its own national language, but add that it is “too premature to do away with English now for national and international reasons.” The Indian Defence Ministry has opened a school of foreign languages, where French, Chineses, Arabic, Russian and German are taught. Apparently. English is not “foreign.” When it will be. is a question that remains unanswered.