English-Official Language

English, a language introduced in our country and in many others, the world over, as a consequence of the British colonial rule, is an international language. Yet, there are some countries that use it as an official language while others have done away with it. We will talk of the language in the Indian context.

The official language of the Republic of India is Hindi. However, English is an important secondary official language. The various states are permitted to use their own official language. There are some North-Eastern states like Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura which have English as their official state language despite having their own indigenous languages. In India, the use of English has been a controversial subject. It has come to mean westernization, which is strongly opposed to. Some groups even believe that speaking this language is anti- national. On the other hand, some regional states accept English but oppose Hindi as a National language. English has also been seen as widening the class divide- a tool that differentiates between the “upper class” and the “lower class”. It yields power. It is also seen that lucrative jobs are lost to the English speaking lot, which causes resentment.

While English cannot establish itself in India as it has in America or Australia, despite their multiculturalism, it has a unique place in the Indian polity. It is used in administration, the legal system, global commerce and scientific research. English studies in India will always be relevant to our society. In today’s world, a global language is essential to bind the world. English has emerged as this language. The status it has in our country is reasonable enough. No more, no less.