Can English Be Treated as the Native Language of India?
Decolonization of India is a call frequently given by the Prime Minister. It is a popular call. People nod at it in public but they do not even know what it means. Let us deal with decolonization of languages. It is not simple. Several steps would be needed. Some of these are suggested here. But an encouraging story first.
The Story of Ganga Singh Rajpurohit
In July 2026, a powerful story emerged. It rebutted the entire language debate. Ganga Singh Rajpurohit came from a tiny village. The village had 2,000 people. It had no English schools. He studied in Hindi. He sat for the UPSC exam in Hindi. He cleared the exam at age 23. He became the youngest District Collector in Gujarat. He took charge of Narmada district.
He sits in the office designed by the British. He runs the colonial machinery without needing English. The colonial structure is not permanent. It can be broken. This is the living proof. His success is highly significant.
First, it breaks the meritocracy myth. English fluency does not mean higher intelligence. Ganga Singh proved this. Governance requires capability, not English.
Second, it exposes the gap in culture. The UPSC allows Hindi. Yet, civil service culture remains elitist. Success happens despite this bias.
Third, it proves decolonization works. We do not need English to govern.
Ganga Singh is not alone. Many regional-medium candidates are clearing exams now. They are reclaiming the system. What we need is to tweak the system for such candidates to come up. They will change the system. Here are more suggestions.
Gradual Shift in Judicial Language
Some High Courts now allow Hindi. This is a good step. However, it does not help non-Hindi speakers. India has 22 scheduled languages. A decolonized system must allow regional languages. Litigants must understand their own cases. This requires investment in translation and training. However, Artificial Intelligence now offers an easier path. AI can translate across all languages efficiently. We must push this forward.
In Hindi-speaking states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, courts have used Hindi for at least a decade now. It makes life easier for local lawyers unfamiliar with English. In Chhattisgarh, legal journals publish judgments with Hindi headnotes. This is progress. Yet the High Court there still uses English as primary.
Pedagogical Reforms
English schools must teach English correctly. Pronunciation varies across different teaching streams. English is a useful tool for global commerce. So correct pronunciation matters.
English must not be a marker of intelligence. Students should learn their mother tongue first. They can acquire English later. Germany and Japan participate globally without using English internally. India can do the same. But India has already integrated English so deeply into the system. It will not be easy to change now.
Rectifying Translation Damage
Scholars and lawyers must use original terms. They should use Dharma instead of religion. Standardized glossaries can help. Popular publications like newspapers must be encouraged to use proper words and translations. We must stop flattening Indian terms into Western equivalents.
The Government of India funds at least 30 registered societies in different ministries aimed at promoting Hindi. Yet nobody even knows about them. This shows how little effort reaches public attention.
Equalizing Dignity
Citizens must get respect when using regional languages. This requires a cultural shift.
We must stop equating English with credibility. Media and institutions must value local languages. If they do this, they will start respecting local customs too.
Above all, police and judiciary must be hardwired by training to remember this fact. Presently they operate using British police methods from 1900, just speaking local languages now.
The Irony
Compare the judge’s question with the young collector. The question we started with in the opening chapter. The collector shows that English does not matter for governance.
What matters is serving the citizen.
The citizen needs access in their own language. Young leaders bring empathy. They understand the person waiting outside. They came from that same world.
Bottom Line
A Language Cannot Be Native to a People It Excludes.
We return to the judge’s question. Why can English not be treated as native?
The answer is simple. A language cannot be native if it excludes the majority.
English has citizenship in India. It is a powerful tool. However, it is not native. It serves the elite. It shuts out the poor and speakers of other languages.
Yet, there is hope. Ganga Singh Rajpurohit proved the system can change.
True nativeness means the judge’s mother can read his judgments. It means the farmer understands the court order.
Until then, English remains an elite tool of governance but not of communication.
In Chapter 3 we shall discuss the role of regional media in maintaining the colonization.