English OR Hinglish ?

Not Jamaica  ::ghandi::

Why, half a century after Indian independence :

does English remain the language of higher education, national media,

the upper judiciary and bureaucracy and corporate business ???

Today's aspirational Indians want their children to go to a school where lessons

are taught in English.

But often the pupils leave speaking a language that would not be recognised in London

or New York.... :blank:

Could this Hinglish be the language of India's future ? 

Hindi, the official language of central government :

is an artificial and largely unspoken 20th Century construct.  ::eek::

Even the colloquial Hindustani of Bollywood films :

is spoken by only 40% of the population... ::redface::

India now claims to be the world's second-largest English-speaking country.

The most reliable estimate is around 10% of its population or 125 million people :

second only to the USA    ::rofl::

• [li] The 19th Century historian who introduced Western education to India, is reviled by Indian nationalists[/li]
  

• [li] The term "Macaulay's Children" is still used as a pejorative label for anglicised Indians[/li]
  

• [li] His ideas have been enthusiastically adopted today by India's Dalits - for them, English is a liberating force[/li]
  

• [li] Their saviour from caste oppression is personified as a goddess, modelled on the Statue of Liberty in a sari [/li]
  

                                  Thomas Babington Macaulay