Dalit Goddess English |
Yes the pantheon of Hindi gods and goddesses has gained a new goddess 'Hinglish', with her own sādhu or 'saint' in the form of the high Victorian politician 'Thomas Babington Macaulay', who introduced the idea of teaching and governance in English, to the different races of India (incidentally cementing the possibility of a united independent India).
Indian nationalist Hindu politicians have always scorned the 'Anglos' (Indians of mixed British and Indian backgrounds) who traditionally held the middle civil service ranks in the 'Raj', as "Macaulay's Children" a pejorative label for 'anglicised' Indians .... but with only 40% of the country speaking a regionalised form of colloquial Hindustani (that used in Bollywood films, and aimed at the "cow belt" farmers of northern India), and the rest speaking many dozens of languages, in fact the future could belong to "Macaulay's Grand Children".
However, as with all things Indian, there's a fly in the ointment - while Hindu nationalists consider 'English' the 'Trojan horse' of globalisation, the teaching of the 'English' in the medium level schools of India (those where shopkeepers and maids send their children for an 'English' language education), is so poor, that its almost incomprehensible to either the native English, or better taught Indian 'English speakers'.
Its a funny thought that, Indian politicians will send their own children to proper 'English' language schools, knowing that India's future lies in the global economy, while using 'Hindu Nationalism' to prevent this same advantage being given or taught to the children of the poor ... strangely, there is some evidence that those Indian state schools which do teach 'English' as a second language, are actually turning out better English speakers, than those private establishments that profess to teach only in 'English'.
Like the reference to 'Dell Hell'. In the US this is the name give to calling Indian 'Kalli' centres, where people allegedly speak 'English'. They have all been stopped over here because the US customers refused to deal with them.
ReplyDeleteMust cost millions in lost business .... The accountants never look at loss of goodwill, when they count beans.
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