Amitabh Satyam’s The Hindi Medium Types is an exploration of India’s enduring colonial legacies, particularly in the form of linguistic hierarchy. The book examines how English has come to occupy a position far beyond that of a mere language, serving as a symbol of intelligence, modernity, and privilege—while Indian languages and cultural practices are often sidelined or undervalued.

The lines in the preface of the book are sarcastically woven and cater to the existing reality of our nation without any filter. Amitabh Satyam has used catastrophically allegorical expressions to shed light on the ironical reality of our society, where intellectuality is measured by the bias of language: “हम भारत के काले लोग, गोरेपन की खोज में। (We, the Dark People of India, wandering in pursuit of a borrowed whiteness.)"

Written across nine chapters, the book blends personal anecdotes, social observations, and historical analysis to reveal how deeply “Englishness" has shaped Indian society. From education and employment to daily habits, the preference for English reflects not only confidence but also a deep-seated inferiority complex inherited from colonial times and still continuing in modern India.

India is a land of multiple vernacular voices, yet one voice seems to echo louder than the rest—the English language. Amitabh Satyam’s The Hindi Medium Types looks directly at this reality and asks an important question: Why, even after almost eighty years of independence,........

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