A NEW CASTE SYSTEM : ENGLISH VERSUS VERNACULAR

It may seems funny to you but I bet even you must have experienced once or several times this new way of discrimination. If you are well in english then at some place you have thought of yourself as of higher rank and if you are good in vernacular but bad in english then the situation is surely adverse for you. whether you are in academic or in any profession your competence and talent is measured based on how good you are in english. I doubt if this kind of discrimination continues then our government has to take legal measures of reservation for vernaculars too, as already there exists a federal law covering language discrimination enforced by EEOC (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).

After my graduation one of my junior who was in my contact even after I completed my studies informed me that during her graduation project she performed very well. Products that she developed were being marketed very well and profit was earned. When she asked for job offer by the company she was refused to hire saying that you are not good in english, we need a person who is well in english. No doubt that she was very talented and competent in her work but was refused just because of not speaking english as she belongs to a lower middle class of a hindi speaking state. Company compromised with production quality over english speaking.

You may also have gone through a novel “Half Girlfriend” written by Chetan Bhagat. In this you can see how a hindi speaking boy being discriminated based on language he speaks. How he faced interview for admission in a language he hardly knows. How he was compelled to interact and limits his friendship with hindi speaking guys and gals. How he felt inferior in front of his girlfriend who speaks and knows english very well. How he does not find himself fit in the society of english speaking people although he belonged to a royal family of hindi speaking state.

In multi-linguistic country like India it is very much questionable that basic needed things like food items, medicine, nutritional items, government forms, access to law, politics etc. are provided with instructions in english. Academic conversations, admission to good universities, projects, research work, dissertation, creativity etc. are needed to be in english to be effective and valuable. I think these talents can be found in its best form even in the vernacular.