India’s Prime Minister joked
about his ability to speak English
yesterday, and gave a humorous explanation
for the British withdrawal from the
sub-continent in 1947.
It was not because of the independence
movement, Mr.A.B.Vajpayee said, suggesting
the British fled as they had become “
intolerably sick “ of the way Indians speak
English.
In a speech in Hindi inaugurating the World
Sanskrit Conference, he also explained why
audiences usually ask him to speak India’s
national language.
“That demands that I speak in Hindi do not
emanate out of any love for Hindi, but out
of fear of my atrocious English” said Mr.
Vajpayee, who speaks English well.
The establishment of Hindi as the national
language after independence was opposed in
many part of the country, where several
other languages are spoken. Sanskrit is an
ancient language out of which Hindi
developed. – AP
Despite claims of elitism, the
language is being seen increasingly
as the key to opportunity and
prosperity.
New Delhi:
After a decade-long
drive to teach regional
languages in schools,
English is making a
comeback in India.
The government of
Maharashtra, a prominent
state in Western India,
recently announced
compulsory English
lessons from grade 6
onwards, according to a
report in the Christian
Science Monitor.
This is the reversal of
the state government
policy of teaching only
Marathi, the local
language, at school.
Maharashtra, whose
capital Mumbai (Bombay)
is the commercial hub of
India, was not alone in
jumping on to the
English bandwagon, the
report said.
Marxist-ruled West
Bengal, in eastern
India, has reintroduced
the teaching of English
in schools. It, too,
had scrapped English in
schools in the l980’s
and insisted on teaching
the local language,
Bengali.
Inda
The revival of English
follows
attempts
at
‘Indianisation’
spanning
more
than
a
decade
in
which
regional
languages
were
taught
in
schools
and
British-era
names
of
streets
and
places
were
removed.
Bombay
became
Mumbai
and
Calcutta
is
now
Kolkata.....
Only 5-7 percent of
India’s
billion-strong
population
speaks
English.
But
it
is
now
being
recognized
there
is a
need
to
spread
English
beyond
its
traditional
enclave
of
the
privileged
few.
Even in marriage,
English
is a
favoured
language.
In
matrimonial
ads
in
Indian
newspapers,
more
and
more
ask
for
brides
who
attended
‘convent
schools’.........
