Amit Shah was not just defending his son’s English…
The direction in which the BJP government has been moving – with its strong cultural and political assertion – had made it seem that, in time, while English might continue to be the language of the self-proclaimed elite, Hindi would increasingly become the language of the power elite.
But this linguistic transition now faces headwinds.
Globally, the world is tilting back toward a “might is right” mindset – and here, English still dominates due to its economic utility. English still opens more doors and “windows” – as most of foreign texts come to us translated through English.
Until AI translation tools create real-time linguistic parity, English will likely remain the global working language.
At home, India’s southern states continue to reject Hindi supremacy, slowing any nationwide transition and turning the tide in favour of parity of regional languages with Hindi.
The time when English speakers are looked down upon in India, similarly, is neither near nor inevitable.
Still, in this context, Amit Shah’s recent swipe at English should not be read only as a defence of his son’s language skills, but more as a rebuff to the petty digs at the Prime Minister’s English during the G7 summit.
Such criticisms say more about the critics than the criticised.