The bizarre irony is not lost on me when I write this to you in English suggesting to replace English from governance and education. Even though I do not wish to communicate in English, ‘independent’ India has robbed me and most Indians+

2. of their linguistic wealth and options.

A person who doesn’t respect himself can never earn respect of others. Likewise, a nation & people who don’t respect themselves, their own religion, culture, languages, history, arts, architecture etc can never be respected by others.+

3. We are an ancient, knowledge-based civilisation, dating back to several thousand years, with a vast repository of knowledge and literature on a variety of subjects.

The Rig Veda is the world’s oldest known text, and the Mahabharata is the world’s longest epic ever written.+

4. Any nation would be proud of such rich heritage. But as a nation, do we take pride in our illustrious, enviable heritage?

Taking pride means learning and promoting that heritage and living by the same as a civilisational nation.+

5. Instead, our public education perpetuates Macaulayism of 1835. It not only reinforces our mental and cultural colonisation but also teaches us to hate our civilisational knowledge, texts and heritage. How does this self-loathing get instilled and installed in our psyche?+
6. It happens, for, the medium is the message.

Our use of English for education and governance is the fundamental cause of our mental and cultural colonisation. It is a self-inflicted civilisational insult and national humiliation.

India is home to highly developed languages.+

7. Our Panini is the father of linguistics. The number of speakers of each of many Indian languages is a lot more than many so called international languages.

Yet, vested interests have created a contrived controversy that an India sans English would be nothing but chaotic.+

8. Nothing can be farther from the truth. English came to India some 200 years ago and gained prominence only after our political independence in 1947. Compare this with our ancient civilisation which is several thousand years old.

We Indians have always found our own ways of +

9. connecting and communicating with others within and beyond India for millennia.

European Union has 24 official languages with no single link language. Anybody can use any of the 24 languages and get his work done with ease. Yet, their communication has not broken down. +

10. On the other hand, they are more prosperous; their GDP is several times higher than ours; their human development indices are better than ours, and their scientific and technological advancement is superior to ours. It may be argued that the EU is not one country like India,+
11. and hence the comparison may be inappropriate. Not really so. EU countries are socio-economically intertwined with a very high degree of social and economic intercourse among their people and businesses.

It is a myth that English is an advantage. +

12. Notwithstanding the glib claims that India is the IT powerhouse because of English, we have not produced a single important software or even a single social media platform. We merely provide ‘cyber coolies’ for the world. +
13. ‘Independent’ India has not produced a single Nobel laureate in science, nor any path-breaking scientific discovery.

English only keeps us backward by destroying our original thinking faculties. It is actually an albatross around our nation’s neck. +

14. Therefore, unless we get rid of English, and liberate ourselves from cultural and mental colonisation, India can never truly develop to be a developed country let alone a superpower. +
15. Even if there will be linguistic chaos for a while it will be nothing, for, within the apparent randomness there are always underlying patterns and interconnectedness from which the order and solution emerge. +
16. As per Articles 120, 210, 343, 344 and 345 of the Constitution, the use English for official communication should cease after 15 years from the date of coming into force of the Constitution, unless Parliament makes a law for continued use of English. +
17. Article 348 specifies that until Parliament provides an alternative, the language of Supreme Court, High Courts and authoritative texts of all laws, shall continue to be English.

Sadly, Parliament enacted Official Languages Act-1963 perpetuating use of English. +

18. Please enact ‘National Languages Act’ to:

a) Discontinue use of English for any official, court or educational purposes by Union, all States, UTs, SC & all HCs;

b) Make all 22 Indian languages in Schedule-8 of Constitution as official languages of Union and SC; +

19. c) Make the language spoken in respective States as official language of that State, all courts & HC concerned;

d) Make official language of a State as medium of instruction for all educational & research purposes at all levels in that State; +

20. e) All students currently pursuing studies in English medium be encouraged to shift to mother tongue or local language through suitable incentives, relocation etc;

f) Arrange immediate translation into all 22 languages of all laws, rules, instructions, judgements etc; +

21. g) Make arrangements for instantaneous automatic translation from one language to all other 22 languages for proceedings of Parliament & SC;

h) Make investments of all sorts for development of all 22 languages & provide for translation of every important document and book +

22. published in any language in India & elsewhere, into all 22 languages which will create more than a CRORE JOBS apart from giving impetus to educational activity.

This will restore glory of our civilisation by unshackling us from colonial bondage of English. +

23. I understand the task is gigantic and daunting. Civilisational restoration is not easy task. However, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. +
24. Do you @narendramodi want to end up as yet another Tom, Dick & Harry PM who merely perpetuated Nehruvian model?

OR be remembered as a transformational leader who liberated India from mental & cultural colonisation?

Here is👆an idea for you to become the latter.