Decolinising Bhartiye Bhasha

Language is what we are born into and live through. It serves not only as a medium of communication but also as a repository of our culture, shared legacy, social relationships, and worldview. In the Indian context, languages have been shaped by historical interactions—particularly colonialism—which left deep imprints on our linguistic landscape.

Colonialism imposed English as the language of power, education, and administration, sidelining indigenous tongues like Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and tribal dialects. This created a hierarchy where English fluency signals elite status, marginalizing over 90% of Indians who primarily speak native languages. Indian languages have naturally evolved through interactions, absorbing foreign words and enriching their vocabulary. However, colonizers weaponized this process through hybridization, deliberately diluting native cultures. They dismissed indigenous languages as barbaric, unscientific, and grammatically unstructured—not just in India, but in Latin America, South Africa, Asia, and beyond. Their policies were not organic exchanges but forceful impositions.

Colonial Hegemony and Linguistic Bias

British rule fundamentally altered India’s linguistic landscape by institutionalizing English in administration, education, and intellectual discourse. Indigenous languages were relegated to the margins, deemed inadequate for “modern” knowledge systems. Fluency in English became synonymous with power, privilege, and progress. Macaulay’s doctrine exacerbated this, making English the language of offices, courts, and institutions. It drew students and professionals seeking jobs and social prestige, leading to code-mixing, code-switching, and hybridity in Indian languages. Colonization thus disrupted the natural hierarchy among Indian languages, placing English at the top.

Even after independence, this hierarchy persists. English still dominates higher education, legal systems, and elite communication, while many Indian languages struggle for recognition and functional expansion. This imbalance reflects a lingering colonial mindset.

Decolonising the Indian Linguistic Landscape

Decolonising language means shifting from Euro-centric dominance to indigenous tongues—a move from linguistic imperialism to cultural reclamation. It demands a fundamental change in societal attitudes toward native languages.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s Decolonising the Mind: The Politics of Language in African Literature (London: James Currey, 1986) argues that linguistic imperialism alienates people from their culture. He advocates writing in mother tongues and bid farewell to English in his own work. Similarly, Namvar Singh’s “Decolonising the Indian Mind” (1992) calls for dismantling British cultural, literary, and psychological hegemony, recentering literary creation on Indian, Asian, and African languages within their socio-cultural contexts.

Decolonising Indian languages is a multi-layered process:

• Reclaiming epistemic space, using Indian languages for knowledge production in science, philosophy, and technology.
• Revitalizing indigenous vocabularies and native expressions over borrowed terms.
• Challenging linguistic elitism and the myth that English equates to intelligence or prestige.
• Restoring oral traditions, folk narratives, dialects, and oral histories as legitimate knowledge systems.

Recent folklore research, field surveys, and translations have accelerated this growth. Languages like Santali, Mundari, and Meitei now carry rich cultural narratives once accessible only to colonial officials. As V.M. Subramanya Sharma and Purnendu Bikas Debnath note, “Decolonising India's linguistic landscape involves more than policy changes; it requires a fundamental shift in societal attitudes toward indigenous languages. Recognising and valuing their intrinsic worth is crucial for preserving cultural diversity and promoting inclusive development” (Bhartiya Bhasha Parivar, National Book Trust, New Delhi, 2025, p. 95).

This is not about rejecting English outright but dismantling its monopoly for a more equitable multilingual environment. It means decolonising Indian minds — banishing Macaulay’s ghosts and instilling pride in being Indian first.

Role of Education and Policies

Education is pivotal. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes multilingualism and mother-tongue instruction in early years, deepening comprehension and cultural ties. Equitable implementation of the three-language formula, plus elevating Indian languages in governance, media, and tech (e.g., Google’s Bhasha Hub for 22 languages, AI-driven regional content, TV shows, and news), advances decolonisation. Yet challenges persist: English-medium bias in institutions, parental preferences for prestige, and uneven policy execution. A true decolonising approach requires high-quality textbooks, research, and resources in Indian languages. As noted, “By integrating inclusive language policies, multilingual education frameworks, and community-driven initiatives, India can foster renewed appreciation for its linguistic heritage while countering colonial legacies” (Bhartiya Bhasha Parivar, 2025, p. 97).

Digital Humanities and Language Revival

The digital age empowers languages through digitised manuscripts, online dictionaries, speech recognition, and translation tools. Social media democratises expression, with young writers, poets, and creators thriving in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and beyond, eroding English’s dominance.

Cultural Identity and Linguistic Pride

Decolonising language fosters identity, self-respect, and cultural continuity when people speak, write, and think in their tongues without inferiority. Literature, cinema, and local media nurture this pride. India’s linguistic plurality must be preserved—not supplanted by a few dominant languages—but celebrated as a strength.

Challenges

Obstacles include standardised technical terminology shortages, limited institutional support, societal English bias for economic gain, politicisation of debates, and inter-state disputes. Overcoming them demands policy backing, community involvement, and attitude shifts. Let us unite for solutions rather than falter.

Conclusion

Decolonising Indian languages reclaims intellectual sovereignty, unbound by any single tongue. It preserves heritage, fosters inclusivity, and harmonises English with indigenous languages—giving every voice equal space. This framework reveals India’s linguistic diversity, shared history, and multilingual identity as a Bhasha Parivar, rejecting colonial hierarchies.