English as a medium of common language

Considering the vastness of our nation and people of different castes and religions living in it, it is quite understandable that India being a nation has diversity in its several aspects. For centuries our nation is regarded as a symbol of ‘unity in diversity’; as people of different religions and languages live together here without much apathy for each other. However, at present, it is felt that there should be a common aspect that would bind the nation in one thread and what else can be brought into consideration in that case other than a language. Language, being a primary level of communication plays a vital role to bring unity in any different nations or throughout the world. In the era of globalization where going beyond the conception of one nation or one continent, the world is now striving to come under the same roof based on some common language.

English, being an ancient language and its spread all over the globe during the time of colonization made it feasible to regard it as global language. When the world is trying to choose a common language for all, in India still we are hovering around on the issue whether we should adopt a common language to establish better relation between different states. In our nation there are on an average twenty languages are spoken all across the states. Thus, it is quite obvious to introduce a common language between them for better terms in every aspect of life.

English, being our colonial language has been given due importance for several decades, besides, the fact that in nations like ours where in higher studies English is opted as the first language, made it indeed necessary to learn the language seriously. Notwithstanding, such remarkable history and necessity of the language, still we possess apathy in our mind to adopt this foreign language. It is truly surprising that where the entirely world is striving to establish a common language going beyond the prejudice of embracing own regional language, we being a nation can’t comprehend the reason of adopting a common language all over the country.

There are intellectuals who are solely against establishing any foreign language as a medium of communication, because to them it is simply insulting. But one things needs to be understood here that we must adopt a language that would not only help us to communicate in our nation but also enable our people to communicate with all across the world with much perfection. English, therefore, be deemed the suitable language to adopt by the nation, yet, there are people of different categories still against establishing English, as a common medium of communication.

Given it a thought we would realize that our prejudice and stubbornness against English, to consider it as a common language, and likewise our apathy to introduce it eventually as a common medium of our education system all across the nation, ultimately hindering our growth. We must feel the essence of the fact that having a common language all over the nation can ultimately brings us close to one another by expressing our mind more explicitly to each another through the common language. Till date, we could not overcome the barrier of language in our nation; when a people from east travels to south in most cases he faces discrimination and is being humiliated seldom on the basis of language and community. Hence, here, we once again felt the urge to introduce a common language all over the nation to do away with such irrational issue based on language.

Very recently our government has introduced a new medium of education system, where the emphasis is being laid upon our own ancient socio-cultural history. They have enlightened the fact that we must educate ourselves more to know about our own culture, history and literature than to focus on western history. It is absolutely a sheer pleasure of ours to know about our own history in details and impart that knowledge to the next generation; but one thing that we are seemingly missing here is that English being a language can never stand along in the path of imparting and sharing knowledge of our own history. We seem to miss out on the fact that learning a language is only required more and more practice and realistic implementation of it. Thus, instead bearing any prejudice in mind, if we introduce English as a common language all across the nation from the primary level, based on the available infrastructure and resources, it can be expected that in a decade or so India will surely have a nation with a common language that would enable its people to build a strong relationship not within the nation but all over the world.

Some intellectuals have mentioned that ‘adopting regional languages in our education system would confirm maximum attendant in school and likewise ensure sustainability of the desire among kids to go to school. Yet, I feel again we somehow being misinterpreted here as what is the point of having a lopsided education system that does not enable a student to be self dependent and educated enough to communicate both in verbal and written form when they grow up. I think it is worthy taking little pressure at the early age of life to ensure that the future of a student is bright than to just have a degree but in reality not good enough to cop-up with the thriving world.

Imaging a society, where there would be no stratification based on education or a particular language, surely brings subtle happiness in our mind. In our nation, whether or not we accept, revolving English there is an invisible pride prevails in us, so breaking that concept can certainly bring about unity among people of different classes. Above all if English can eventually be regarded as a common medium of language and people finally able to learn it in a comprehensible manner than we shall have a society where ideas can be shared among people all over nation whether through social media or any other means.

There shall always be a class of people against this concept of introducing English as a common medium of language; because, as long as people will remain unlettered their dominance over society shall remain intact. Quite surprisingly, a large number of them who are against establishing English as a common medium  of education system, are sending their kids to reputed English schools even abroad to be educated in the same medium of language. An attempt is being made to bind our eyes with black cloths lest our progress and let their exploitation go on in the name of intellectuality. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that as history itself has proved it again and again that the progress of civilization could never be hindered by the whim of a particular class of people for a long time, similarly, there shall be a revolution in our society soon, when people can realize the value of educating all through the basis of a common language that would help them both in national as well as international stage.