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The last year has seen a quiet revival of India’s language politics. This time, the protests  are not on the streets, as in the 1960s, but in a digital space fired up by a pattern of  speeches from nationalist leaders championing Hindi and Sanskrit while condemning  English. 

This has triggered a unique phenomenon, unsettling both the elite and the aspiring masses alike. The privileged, who treat English as a prized possession, fear its value will be distorted by a chaotic policy. The masses — empowered by technology and viewing English as their only bridge to a modern, global economy — fear that bridge is now shaking, threatening to collapse before they can cross.

This unease reveals a deep contradiction. Initially, many elites were conspicuously silent, and some even supported the push for Hindi and Sanskrit. It served their interest in consolidating cultural power, while they remained secure in the knowledge that their own children’s access to elite English education was guaranteed.

They did not anticipate, however, that the rhetoric would eventually pivot to a full-blown anti-English stance. This turn has now trapped them in a difficult position, caught between their nationalist posturing and the practical reality that English is the language of global opportunity.

This dynamic threatens to make English an even more exclusive commodity — silently purchased by the wealthy, while being systematically denied to the masses. It is the exact opposite of what it should be: a simple access skill, a public good available to all Indians, like rice from a ration shop.

English is a bridge, not a colonial chain  

The argument that English is a colonial relic is intellectually dishonest. Languages evolve. Today, English is the undisputed global language of science, technology, commerce, and academia.

Nations without a history of British colonisation — such as Germany and Japan — alongside others like South Korea and China, aggressively promote English as an essential tool for global communication and a skill. This is not seen as an act of cultural surrender, but as a pragmatic strategy for economic and technological advancement.

For India, a nation aspiring to global leadership, deliberately holding back our youth in the name of cultural purity is an act of national self-sabotage.

A union of tongues, a state of........

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