<even Chinese are now learning English bigtime.>
Not My Physical Experience at Beijing,Shanghai,Hangzhou and the Yangtze Delta's
booming Industrial Centres-- in last 2 years.
You do NOT need English(or smatterings by rickshaw wallahs) for Progress!
Mother-tongue is OK.
You do need EFFECTIVE leadership.India lacks/lacked THAT.
Bengal Democracy-this link-is not sure about Bangla/Hindi/English except that
they want all the best from all fronts.
mm> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 18:30:11 -0700> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To:
assam@assamnet.org> Subject: [Assam] Book review : India After Gandhi- Bengal
democracy> > Rajenda,> What you mean is had Indians been anihilated by> British
then English could have been considered as a> Native Language for India ! > > I
have no qualms if you consider English as a> foreign/Indian language whatsover
but to say that> India is united just because of English is an absurd> logic.>
As far as absorption goes, in current world it is a> universal phenomenon ...
even Chinese are now learning> English bigtime.> > > > America was founded by
the Europeans. When they came> > they brought not only > > the European
languages but also the European> > religions and cultures. Thus > >
Christianity as well as Englsih and all other> > European languages are brought
> > from Europe which make the big Western culture now.> > Red Indian culture
has > > been wiped out for all practical purposes. Thus it> > is irrelevant to
say that > > English language and Christianity are foreign to> > America.
Because these were > > there from day one of American modern history. In> >
America it is the mother > > tongue of the huge majority population. It is
true> > that in America both > > Christianity as well as the English language
had> > undergone much change. It > > is often said that America and England are
two> > countries separated by one > > language.> > > > In case of India, it is
a different ball game. The> > English people did not > > establish the Indian
culture. A foreign language,> > English, was given to the > > Indians only
about a hundred years ago. No Indians> > had any roots in English > > language.
The British left but the Indians stuck to> > their language and many > > other
English items (like Cricket, Democracy, our> > dress, educational > >
institutions, civic laws etc). It is true that we> > are trying our best to > >
Indianise the language so much so that it is often> > called Hindlish and not >
> English. Even now there is a strong section of> > Indians who are opposed to
> > Hindlish. (as well as the others). Even now English> > is considered a
foreign > > language by a strong section of the Indian> > population. I would
say in > > another hundred years probably Hindlish will> > penetrate more to
the Indian > > culture. But I donot think it will ever go the> > Indian lower
class; it will > > remain a middle class language of communication. It> > is
probably now 20/30% > > Indians who speak Hindlish. May be in another> >
hundred years, it will be > > 30/40% may be. But it will never be the mother> >
tongue of any sizable section > > of Indians.> > > > The very fact that you,
Ram and others feel offended> > when I point out, like > > a sizable section of
Indians, that English is a> > foreign language goes to > > prove how much we
Indians depend on Hindlish, how we> > Indians love Hindlish. > > Probably Ram
and you are right. Probably, we can say> > of Hindlish, like the > > game of
Cricket, is an Indian item. But we should be> > ready to admit that > > these
are imported items given to us by the British.> > We should feel bad > > about
it.> > > > In fact one great quality of us the Indians, unlike> > the Chinese,
is the > > quality to absorb foreign things like sponge absorbs> > water.> > In
the ancient times also, we absorbed many foreign> > elements, like idol > >
worship, astrology etc.> > Rajen Barua> > > > ----- Original Message ----- > >
From: "Krishnendu Chakraborty" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> > To: <assam@assamnet.org>>
> Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2007 9:09 AM> > Subject: [Assam] Book review :
India After Gandhi-> > Bengal democracy> > > > > > Rajenda, going by your
logic, English is a foreign> > language in US too which was brought in by> >
Europeans.> > > > That unlike India Native languages have been killed> > in> >
US is a different topic.> > > > > > > > >>>Opinions are never debatable!> >
>>>Facts are.> > Thanks> > Barua> > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Ram
Sarangapani> > To: A Mailing list for people interested in Assam> > from around
the world> > Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 11:54 PM> > Subject: Re: [Assam]
Book review : India After> > Gandhi- Bengal democracy> > > > > > >BTW I am not
looking for an response on this from> > you. I think this is a waste of >time
even to debate> > on this issue.> > > > It truely is a colossal waste. Just to
let you> > know,> > I didn't say what I said just because I felt like> > it,> >
there were very valid reasons, and your "foreign"> > comment only triggered
it..... and nothing more.> > This is a hot topic in India today. If you are> >
interested, you might want to look into the New York> > Times articles from
yesterday (Sept. 28th) and also> > about Mulayam Singh Yadav and his comments.>
> > > Anyway --- I have totally lost interest in the> > topic> > by now.> > > >
Thanks> > > > --Ram> > > > > > > > > > > > On 9/28/07, Rajen & Ajanta Barua
<barua25 at> > hotmail.com> wrote:> > Ram:> > If you insist to know my views:>
> English is a foreign language in India because:> > 1) It is not rooted in
India.> > 2) There is nothing Indian about it except the> > fact the middle
class Indians use it to overcome the> > difficulty of their too many
languages.> > 3) It was never a language in India during the> > last 5000 years
of India's history except during the> > British colonial rule.> > 4) We even
cannot say that we have been using> > this> > language for 100 years even by
the middle class.> > 5) It can be compared only to Persian language> > which
was also at one time imposed as a court> > language> > in India during the
Moghol rules and which is dead> > in> > India now.> > 6) Even today, even after
100 years, it is> > spoken> > in India by only 1.5% of Indians (quoted from
email> > net - less than 1.5% of the population actually have> > proficiency in
it-KC.)> > 7) Nobody in India, even the majority of middle> > class Indians
like you, would consider English as an> > Indian language.> > > > and many
more.> > > > Indians always need something 'foreign' to rule> > themselves:> >
the Aryans, the Rajputs, the Afghans, the> > Moghuls,> > the British, and now
the English language.> > BTW I am not looking for an response on this> > from>
> you. I think this is a waste of time even to debate> > on> > this issue.> >
Thanks> > Barua> > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Ram Sarangapani> >
To: A Mailing list for people interested in> > Assam from around the world> >
Sent: Friday, September 28, 2007 10:09 PM> > Subject: Re: [Assam] Book review :
India After> > Gandhi- Bengal democracy> > > > > > >We can start with a
definition of the word> > 'foreign' looking at a dictionary> > > > Why look
into a dictionary? I think most of us> > know what "foreign" and what "native"
means? The> > dictionary is not going to tell me anything> > different.> > > >
> > >and see if we can call 'English' a foreign> > language or a native
language.> > > > You were the one who claimed it is a "foreign> > > > > >
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