ENGLISH CAPITAL

Do you know English? If No then Delhi is not the right place to live for you.

Probably I was too harsh to write that statement. Delhi being the capital of the country is a sort of microcosm of India, where a variety of languages are being spoken. Although, Hindi is the widely spoken language, but English has always been the language of aspiration, social mobility and status symbol here.
http://www.languageinindia.com/may2003/annika.html

From the language of elites and the upper strata of society, English is also becoming a functional and preferred language for business and trade , thanks to the mushrooming of IT and ITES companies in the capital.

But, recently the need of having English language skills was felt most prominently by the personnel of Delhi police. During the commonwealth games several foreign tourists complained about their inability to communicate effectively with the police
. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Commonwealth-Games-Pricey-English-training-but-cops-at-loss-for-words/articleshow/6527106.cms


This particular problem took another level when in the dhaula kuan rape case, the friend of the victim who was accompanying her during that ill-fated night, revealed that she had immediately tried to inform the police about the incident. But, due to the inability of the police to understand English no action could be taken in time.

The victim and her friend both from the northeast states of India don’t know Hindi. This situation has further raised the question about the various divisions in our country. Even after 63 years of independence we don’t know in which language should we all converse. Although, Hindi is the official national language of our country, not every Indian understands it, let alone speaks. In the south every state has its own culture and language. They consider the need of communicating in Hindi as unnecessary and a propaganda of the North.

English is emerging as a dominant language of trade and business albeit in the select metros only. Large parts of India still don't know English language. Moreover; the local politicians and culture groups are against the use of English, as it threatens to uproot the local and traditional culture. Although, the fact remains that those people who are well versed in English language have a considerable advantage over others in terms of employment and job opportunities. Should we follow the examples of European countries, Russia and Japan in promoting one language? Or in our own unique manner wear the batch of diversity on our sleeves and proudly say that India can accommodate any dichotomy and contradictions with ease.

Can English like the British raj unite us again as a country? This is a question whose answer is hidden in the layers of future.