English education in the Indian multi-lingual classroom

The paper gives an overview of the situation of the Indian higher education classroom post-1835 with a special focus on the use of English. It analyses the social and intellectual consequences of the ‘lack of English’, and through engagement with two case studies involving Kannada and Hindi reflects on the problems surrounding higher education resources in Indian languages. The paper concludes by offering a roadmap for a much-needed intervention in the sector, an intervention that—by addressing the Indian-language issue—could well transform the space of higher education itself.