Special Report: PM's Decolonisation Call Sparks Debate On English And Indian Identity

This special report features a discussion with panelists Rakesh Sinha, Shruti Kapila, Aditya Mukherjee, and Suraj Yengde on the concept of decolonising the Indian mindset, a debate spurred by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Shruti Kapila states, 'there is no getting away from the fact that English is the language of power. It is the language of mobility. It is the language, therefore, also of aspiration.' The conversation explores the role of English as both a tool of colonial legacy and a vehicle for aspiration in modern India. Panelists address its connection to Dalit empowerment, the promotion of indigenous languages, and whether the debate is part of a larger global antipathy towards liberal elites. The discussion also covers whether the focus should be on language or on other colonial legacies like communal ideology, with Suraj Yengde calling for a need to 'decolonize and de-brahminize' Indian history.