English in India: Journey from Colonial to Global

Abstract

The place of English in Indian education setup is one of the most controversial issues.
There are two extreme opinions from ‘Angrezi Hatao’ to English as a solo medium of
education and there have been varying shades of these two opinions about the function of
English and its place. English in India came with the colonial rule and during the preindependence period played a very important role in the Indian national and social life.
Although Lord Macaulay wanted Indians to be “a class of persons, Indian in blood and
colour but English in tastes, opinions, morals and intellect”, he unconsciously did immense
good to us. He paved the way for development of English in India by making its study
compulsory. The introduction of English proved to be a great integrating force for uniting
the Indians with their diversified cultures, regions and languages and was responsible for
creating an atmosphere of political awareness and consciousness and awareness of our
own rights and privileges. The pendulum of the future of English in India is swinging from
darkness to brightness due to progress in science and technology, the whole world has
become a hamlet and English is the only link language at the global level. Aspiring to
become a superpower, India can’t afford to neglect English. In spite of the various
controversies it has survived to maintain its importance. The paper is an attempt to trace
the journey of English from colonial to global ‘Lingua Franca’.