"The Indian writing in English is something very revolutionary. All that cannot be undone" - A Naga educationist in northeast.
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"...I am quite ready to take the Oriental learning at the valuation of the Orientalists themselves. I have never found one among them who could deny that a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia," British Parliamentarian and historian Thomas Babington had said in 1830s.
Nearly 190 years later his rhetoric has been challenged now by India's strongman - macho Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Macaulay had urged Lord William Bentinck, the then-Governor-General to reform secondary education in India with emphasis on English and on utilitarian lines to deliver "useful learning", a phrase that to him was synonymous with Western culture.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the battle upfront.
Modi said: “Macaulay broke our self-confidence and filled us with a sense of inferiority. He threw our entire way of life into the dustbin in one stroke.
.... He declared that he would create Indians who would appear Indian but think like the British".
The Prime Minister was speaking on Nov 17th in honour of a former media tycoon Ramnath Goenka.
In fact, Modi's blistering attack on the English legacy reached its peak when he almost compared it with Leprosy.
He said the Father of the Nation - Mahatma Gandhi - had said he would not attend any function related to launching a leprosy hospital; but he would come for its closure.
"Similarly, we pledge to eradicate this legacy (colonial mindset) in the next 10 years and put lock and key on the colonial mindset".
Born in 1950, PM Modi is now 75 plus. His age and retirement is already in public debate. By setting a target for 2035 - he could be trying to suggest his prospects for retirement from active politics by 2029 when India goes for next round of general election - and he becomes 79 - is remote.
"Let me begin with a confession. I am one of those products of Macaulay’s education system that the Prime Minister denounced while delivering the Ramnath Goenka Memorial lecture last week.
He said that Thomas Babington Macaulay had created an education system for India that was designed to turn Indians into little brown English people who would be Indian in name only. Absolutely true. .... We spoke only English, read only English literature and poetry and knew very, very little about our own country.
It was people of my kind who ruled India after the British packed up their bags and went home. We continued perpetuating the colonial mindset...." -- columnist Tavleen Singh.
There are some who find merits in what the Prime Minister Modi has said.
Historian Amish Tripathi says:
"I agree with the Prime Minister but it is not so much about the language. But it is how we approach the knowledge system. He told a popular TV channel : "The education system is such that we keep Alopathy treatment at top and we do not research our Ayurveda system of medical science.
Many westerners are getting into Ayurveda ... .
Tripathi gave another example and say - in modern English schools, they teach there are four seasons and in the process the Monsoon is totally ignored. His argument is - "Our ancestors were very clear that the monsoon was the key season. India actually has six seasons .... Europe has four".
Tushar Bhadra in Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi said :
"Even in urban planning, the western system has harmed India grossly. The glass wall buildings in Delhi and Mumbai are based on European whether situations. They need sunlight. In India, they are just hot furnaces."
He also says : "Ancient Indian cities had concepts of lake towns because India has heavy monsoons. These do not reflect in western concepts and hence today's cities in India based on London or Paris would be congested".
But there is another kind of apprehension and interpretation if we may say so.
The soc-called "anti-colonial politics" of Narendra Modi is also being linked to Hindutva politics in some quarters.
There is apprehension that at the garb of opposing British legacy, the BJP and other organisations such as Bajrang Dal may find faults with Christianity.
The RSS and various anti-conversion outfits have been vocal against Christian missionaries even in the past. In Dec 2021, Indian Christians were told in as many words by a senior RSS functionary Indresh Kumar that they better mind their own business and stop converting people from other religions to their faith.
“Respect all, follow your own [religion], there is no need of violence, no need of conversion. We will have to ensure no one leaves the Hindu religion. Those who have left will be brought back to our family", Kumar had said.
He also had said the greatest message of Christmas was peace, brotherhood, love and tolerance. Hence the apprehension is pro-Hindutva strategies such as 'Ghar Wapsi' (re-conversion of Dalit and other Christians and Muslims to Hinduism) could be applied too.
Of course, English is the lingua franca of today’s world and this will continue perhaps also for a few next centuries. The Modi Govt may do well to update the curriculum of Indian schools so that children lay emphasis on ancient Indian civilisation and contribution.
In many quarters; respecting old Indian civilisation is misunderstood with being "religious" or able to speak out one or two Sanskrit slokas. Worse, in some quarters - old superstition may come back. The positive teachings of English education could be appreciated and a proper synthesis made with oriental wisdom - that's something will be the necessary thing to learn.
Ancient Indian civilisation did not allow Slavery. But the elites cultures created by neo-rich and so-called western education continue. And just 10 years may not be a good time space to achieve such targets.
In the words of columnist Tavleen Singh - "Indian literature, music, poetry, philosophy and languages are still taught in Indian schools (the manner) as if they were inferior. The only change that has come is that instead of Indian children aspiring to be little brown English people, they aspire to be little brown American people".
This has to be fought and eradicated and it will need much more time than winning a few more elections by the BJP.
There are some intellectuals and social workers who do not subscribe to the Prime Minister's ideas.
Educationist Rosemary Dzuvichu, a Christian in Nagaland says: "I cannot help contesting the Prime Minister's views. English education started in 1835 contributed immensely to make the Indian population modern and updated for the 19th and the 20th centuries world.
I teach English and American literature. It is no longer just English or British. The Indian writing in English is something very revolutionary.
All that cannot be undone by the next 10 years or so. Actually, there is no need to set such a target".
Madam Romemary
Agreeing with her a social activist Yanbemo Lotha says:
"In the Indian context today, there is nothing called colonial mindset. English is an international language. And it is a must to study science, mathematics and philosophy. In fact, thanks to Macaulay, Indians have immense advantage against the Chinese or even the Japanese.
PM Modi talks about making India a developed nation: but with this politics he would take India backwards".
Wrap up:
We may have to wait and watch ... How much electorally rewarding the new goal would be. But the Prime Minister has set a new target. It appears pro-nationalism in a broad sense, but it's social in logic and it will be immensely political.
There are other issues too. Both the BJP leadership and Modi himself realise that just by talking about development and nationalism vis-a-vis Hindutva-Muslims and Pakistan bashing alone cannot win him votes.
He needs a new target and a new goal. So 'foreign legacy' and to undo it by 2035 is such a mission.
It's a politically correct move in an era when the BJP realises that the Ram temple as a polarisation issue is also done.
Even Pakistan-bashing beyond a point would have its limitations.
It was this spirit, the Prime Minister said (Nov 17th) that should guide a national pledge to “put the locks on” the so-called Western mindset.
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