Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent jab at English speakers—saying they should feel “ashamed”—has stirred quite a storm. In a country as multilingual as India, such comments strike a discordant note.
English in India is more than a colonial hangover. It is a bridge—linking diverse communities, powering global careers, and fuelling aspirations from classrooms in Kerala to boardrooms in Gurugram. To call its use shameful is to ignore its evolution as a tool of empowerment. Ironically, it was the British who planted the seed, but Indians did not just adopt English—they redefined it. A global study even ranked Mumbai as the world’s most English-proficient city, ahead of London, which speaks volumes.
India’s linguistic landscape is vast and beautiful. Hindi may have its place, but so do Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Konkani and countless others. English coexists—not competes. This feels less like cultural pride and more like political posturing. If anything, our leaders should strive to be linguistically versatile, not linguistically defensive—especially when representing India on international platforms where diplomacy demands clarity, not translation. Multilingualism is not a weakness. It is India’s superpower. Let us not reduce it to a political football.
Everette Assis Telles, Margao
