IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH IN INDEPENDENT INDIA

IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH IN INDEPENDENT INDIA

After India got Independence, a controversy was at its Peak whether English should continue or not. The two views gave their own arguments in for and against the existence of English in India after freedom. Some people opposed English because they thought that it was a foreign language, the language of the British and therefore with the end of their rule, their language should also be abolished. But it was not easy to abolish it at once.

Hence it was given a lease of fifteen years and after that it was to be replaced by Hindi as the national and official language of the country. But when the time for the replacement of English by Hindi came, there was lot of opposition from all sides especially from the south. Nothing could be done in such an atmosphere and finally it was decided that English would remain the official language along with Hindi. English thus got a permanent position in India. It was also felt that in a country where there are many languages, cultures and religious, English would be used as a link language. It was necessary for the existence of unity of our country. In the present scenario English has become the most influential language. Anybody who has good knowledge of English can easily establish himself or herself in the society.

In the field of education, science, technology, engineering, law, medicine, commerce, industry and the diplomatic services English continues to enjoy commanding position. Without English we can't imagine to enter in these fields. Most of the books are available in English. Hence, its knowledge makes us able to read more and more books on different subjects.

English is also an international link language. This is the only language which is used to establish communication all over the world. It is the library language too. Most of the books of technical subjects, science, history etc. have been originally written in English. It is used as code and instruction in the management of library. Hence to gain more and more efficiency in any field of life only the English language can be helpful.

English has become the only widely accepted means of communication in the world. It makes interaction easy. Interaction among the people living in different parts of the world promotes enrichment of culture. We learn different ways of living and we update our knowledge only through interaction. Thus English has occupied the most significant place in India once Nehru said that we should keep open our windows to see the world. English is that window which shows us the world. English has become our necessity. We cannot do nor improve without it. It is the second widely spoken language. Hence we cannot ignore it if we wish to achieve grand success in life. It must be there for its practical advantages.