Central Hall: The seeds that Lord Macaulay sowed in 1835 are now reaping dangerous harvest of divisive linguistic politics

X: @prashanthamine

Mumbai: Arguably although the supremacy of the mother tongue or the primary lingua franca of a state cannot be denied, in a globalized multipolar world order knowing more than one language always helps. Every state has the right to further the cause of its state language, but not at the cost of others, thereby risking one’s own alienation.

More than those who are rejoicing at the Maharashtra government withdrawing the Government Resolution (GR) allegedly making Hindi as the mandatory second language in primary education, Thomas Babington Macaulay, the man who 190 years ago scrapped the ancient Indian education system in 1835 to make English as the sole medium of learning must be rejoicing and dancing in his grave for having succeeded in planting seeds of division in the country which are now bearing a dangerous harvest.

While claiming superiority of English over native Indian languages, Macaulay argued that vernacular Indian languages, religious texts, religion itself lacked literature and scientific base. For him Sanskrit and Arabic languages did not provide food or any intellect to the natives and English language on any given day was far superior to any of the native languages.

Also Read: For Lord Macaulay English is better worth knowing than Sanscrit or Arabic; and to form a class of interpreters, Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect

Macaulay succeeded in planting the seeds of this divisive North-South divide and Hindi-versus-Non-Hindi languages that threatens the very concept of unity in diversity of India.

The fact that many in India treat English as the language unlocks doors of higher knowledge and higher career opportunities, is a testimony of what Macaulay had said in 1835 while arguing to introduce English language as the only medium of instruction.

The English Education Act of 1835, formally a resolution by Lord William Bentinck, Governor-General of India, mandated the use of English as the medium of instruction in higher education within British India. It also aimed to discontinue the promotion of traditional oriental institutions like the Calcutta (Kolkata), Madrasa and the Benares Sanskrit College and incorporate English textbooks into the curriculum. This decision was heavily influenced by Macaulay’s Minute on Education

The British did try to undo the damage caused by Macaulay with commissioned surveys of vernacular Indian education system. The Charter Act of 1813 that allocated funds for vernacular schools in India was sought to be revived, but the damage had already been done.

William Adam’s survey report of vernacular schools in Bengal and Bihar in 1830, Sir Charles Wood’s Despatch of 1854, the Hunter Commission’s report in 1882, James Thomson (1843-1853) set up 897 vernacular elementary schools in North-West Provinces and former Governor General of India, James Andrew Broun-Ramsay better known as Lord Dalhousie too had voiced his support for vernacular education in India.

Macaulay’s utter disdain for Indian and Arabic languages is what we see in this anti-Hindi movement that has been raging on since 1949. The movement has already resulted in the Reorganisation of the State’s on linguistic lines in 1956.

The K M Munshi and N Gopalaswami Ayyangar two official language (Hindi and English) formula in 1949 failed to bridge the divide. In 1963 the government wanted English to be phased out in next 15 years, but that did not happen either. Thereafter, the D S Kothari Commission of 1964-66 came up with the Three Language Formula (TLF) which continues till today.

Thereafter, the Ashok Pahwa Committee submitted its report in 1996, the Sitakant Mohapatra Committee report came in 2003 and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF- 05) was announced in 2005. Neither of them offered any real time solution to the official and regional language issue.

Also Read: Central Hall: According to Lord Macaulay native Indians had wasted the best years of life in learning what procures for them neither bread nor respect!

Interestingly enough, as per the 2011 Census of the 22 official languages, out of the top 12 official languages in terms of speakers/mother tongue, top three are as follows – Hindi 52,83,47,193 Cr, Bengali 9,72,37,669 Cr and Marathi 8,30,26,680 Cr.

Amongst the top 3 States out of the 35 States and Union Territories, having maximum number of people identified as having Other Language as their mother tongue or spoken language as per 2011 Census is as follows – Madhya Pradesh 53,46,289 Lakh, Maharashtra 50,80,878 Lakh and Rajasthan 36,74,618 Lakh.

According to Linguists, Linguist Anthropologists, Educationists and medical experts, the best medium of education for a child in its formative growth years is its mother tongue. The other regional, national and foreign languages can follow thereafter.

Even during the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and other princely rulers, their courts did have ministers, regents or officers who were well versed or understood languages like Persian, English, Arabic, French, Spanish or even Dutch. That was the need of those times, as India as since the times of the Indus valley civilization had trade ties with faraway lands in Mesopotamia, South-East Asia and beyond.

According to a United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) February 2024 studies, Mother Tongue Education holds the key to building a strong foundation, it boosts the child’s confidence and self-esteem and it helps the child embrace diversity. “When children learn in mother tongue, they navigate knowledge with confidence and ease. Concepts become clearer, ideas flow freely, and the joy of discovery amplifies”, states UNICEF study in 2024.

The UNICEF study further argues, “About 37 per cent of students in low- and middle-income countries in the world are not being taught in the language they speak and understand best. In India, the estimate is around 35 per cent including many children studying in English medium schools.” 

“India is a multilingual country and children need to learn other languages of wider communication (regional or state languages) as well as English. The Right to Education Act (RTE Act) and the Constitution of India – Article 350A mandates “medium of instructions shall, as far as practicable, be in child’s mother tongue”, argues the UNICEF study.

As per Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMCs) budget estimates for Education for 2024-25 Free Education is being imparted to 2,44,152 students of 943 primary schools of 8 mediums that includes – Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, English, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada. Free Education is being imparted to 43,040 students of 248 secondary schools of BMC. According to one estimate the total Primary & Secondary schools run by BMC are 1,191.

That figure has now significantly gone up with BMC now operating 21 CBSE board schools in Mumbai. Even the recent data of BMCs Education department raises an alarm as the number of students from its vernacular mediums switching over to its English medium and CBSE board schools!

It is pertinent to note that as per the 2011 Census data of Mumbai, In terms of language, Marathi is the most spoken language (35.96%), with Hindi (22.98%) and Urdu (13.53%) also having significant representation. Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) make up 7.13% and 0.81% of the population, respectively. 

Also Read: Central Hall: The dialects commonly spoken among the natives of this part of India, contain neither literary nor scientific information, claimed T B Macaulay in 1835!

As per a 2019 BMC data of its then 970 Municipal Primary Schools there were 283 Marathi medium schools, 227 Hindi medium schools, 193 Urdu medium schools, 54 English medium schools, 48 Gujarathi medium schools, 32 Tamil medium schools, 29 Kannad medium schools, 17 Telgu medium schools and 17 Special Child Schools. According to media reports the number of Marathi medium schools shutting down due to want of students has increased in over the last decade or so.

But the real interesting picture is when one considers the number of students studying in these 970 Municipal Primary Schools – there were 35,181 students studying in Marathi medium schools, 63,202 students in Hindi medium schools, 62,516 students in Urdu medium schools, 33,737 students in English medium schools, 1,838 students in Gujarathi medium schools, 3,276 students in Tamil medium schools, 1,176 students in Kannad medium schools, 612 students in Telgu medium schools and 821 students in Special Child Schools.

More than the Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena UBT faction cadres aggressive stance over the Hindi imposition row, since 2008 the Raj Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) cadres have been attacking non-Marathi taxi and autorickshaw drivers, or the recent slapping of a non-Marathi shopkeeper.

It may be recalled that the MNS cadres had targeted students from north-India appearing for the Railway Recruitment Board exams across Mumbai and Thane district’s in October 2008. As political leaders from Bihar raised their hackles over the issue, the subsequent detention of MNS chief Raj Thackeray had added more fuel to the fire.

Now with the new bonhomie between the SS-UBT faction and MNS cadres over their rapprochement ahead of the ensuing mini-Vidhan Sabha like elections to 27 Municipal Corporation’s in Maharashtra, it is once again spilling over on to the streets.

There are nine municipal corporations within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). These are: Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizamapur, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, and Panvel. The MMR covers an area of 6,328 sq km. 

What is important to note here that besides these nine major Municipal Corporations in the MMR, there are four more major Municipal Corporations of Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur which are in major metro cities.

Put together all the 27 Municipal Corporations have 2,736 seats. Of those the nine Municipal Corporations in MMR account for 1,047 seats, the rest of the four urban metro city Municipal Corporations account for 563 seats. Together all the 13 urban metro Municipal Corporations have 1,610 seats, while the remaining 14 Municipal Corporations account for the remaining 1,126 seats.

In terms of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies covering the geographical boundaries of these 27 Municipal Corporations, they account for about 16 Lok Sabha seats and around 60 to 64 Assembly seats.

With so much at stake electorally, raking-up contentious and divisive issues like the language war, the North-South divide is fraught with danger. The issue has seen many violent reactions especially in the Southern states since Independence.

Although the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, does continue with the 1968 Three Language Policy, with some states making Hindi mandatory has reignited the controversy. In the last three decades or so, the entire MMR region and the other four major metro cities have seen a significant demographic change with people from other parts of the country migrating to these urban metros for work and education.

As the UNICEF study argues in favour of Primary Education for children in their own mother tongue, in a more globalised world order knowing more than one or two non-native or foreign languages holds in good stead in the global job market and world at large.

It is hard to imagine that a more urbanised and progressive state like Maharashtra which has always steered clear of this language war or this North-South divide will fall prey to this rekindled language war. Hope and pray that the seeds that Lord Macaulay sowed in 1835 do not reaping dangerous harvest of divisive linguistic politics.