South Asia's Tryst with English

This chapter draws on the historical record and discusses the evolution of the unique relationship that English has with South Asia, and how English displaced every major language in the region to become the main lexicon in all important domains, be they administrative, legislative, legal, political, economic, or social. How the printing press, capitalism, industrialization, and taxation policies directly or indirectly aided the expansion of English is looked at. “Macaulay, Grant and the Clapham Sect” examines events leading up to the English Education Act 1835 and looks at the negative as well as the positive sides of Macaulay. The ways in which colonial language-in-education policies affected traditional educational and societal structures and their outcomes are discussed in detail. Both the Orientalist and the Anglicist perspectives are examined and how the “New British Plan” and the destruction of the indigenous system of education contributed to the creation of the non-elites who are the focus of this study. The difference between the educational efforts of English Colonizers versus Scottish Colonizers is explored. Orientalism and re-orientalism are examined, followed by a discussion on whether English was imposed on South Asia.