Colonial Language Engineering and the Fragmentation of Indian Unity

Dr. P. Phani Krishna & Dr. Namrata Singh

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Delhi, Email: phanikrishna@linguistics.du.ac.in

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Hindi, Vivekananda College, University of Delhi, Email: namrata@vivekanand.du.ac.in

Abstract:

This paper tries to examine how India’s colonial language policies systematically dismantled the pre-existing linguistic unity to establish colonial control. May it be the British policies, such as Macaulay's Minute (1835) and the English Education Act, or post-Independence power politics by parties like Congress, Left and a few regional parties, that replaced India’s linguistic harmony with hierarchies and divisions that privileged English. These measures sidelined Indian tradition and caused socio-political divisions, which led to many divisions pre- and post-independence, as seen in the many regional language movements or Anti-Hindi movements, politics based on language and which led to needless linguistic conflict in various parts of the country. Unlike colonial divisions and policies, precolonial India always possessed unity, and it is due to a cohesive system among all Indian languages, substantiated by common aspects such as grammar, philosophical consistency derived from Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and other Indian traditions. The paper advocates for a decolonial transformation in Indian linguistic thought, drawing upon Indian linguistic knowledge. This work advocates for the incorporation of Indian frameworks in linguistics, education, research and socio-political understanding to restore multilingual equity and reclaim India’s intellectual sovereignty; several languages of India do not fragment the nation; rather, they exemplify a profound cultural unity that has evolved over centuries via social, cultural and traditional convergence.   

Full Text:

Colonial Language Engineering and the Fragmentation of Indian Unity

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