Is English the Only Way Forward for an Average Indian

chillibreeze writer — Rangaram D

Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, the standard of an individual's education in India is measured by the standard of English he uses. It can be proved factually that this is the right approach. Even though the British left India more than 60 years ago, Indians still consider them ‘elite’, and are forced to learn their language. While a few voices raise concern over the slow death of regional languages, a pragmatic Indian thinks he has very few options if he chooses to ignore English. Even the politicians who raise voices for their regional language can't prevent the proliferation of jobs that require English skills. This is because the economic situation demands it. Is it possible for an average Indian to ignore English and progress in life, from a career perspective? If so, what are the options available?

English and job opportunities
There is no doubt that there are more opportunities for English speaking people in India. In an average middle class family in India, the parents want their kids to learn English and are not really bothered about what happens to the state of their regional language. At the end of the day, it is money that matters and only that can win their daily bread. While on the outset it might appear that there are hardly any decent jobs available if one does not know English, digging a bit deeper would reveal a lot more jobs involving regional languages, which one can work with pride.

Available options
There are many customer service roles which require people who are well versed in speaking the regional language. With the advent of technology and the increased usage of electronic products and gadgets, the requirement for call centers to help troubleshoot issues, has also increased rapidly. In order to cater to local people, there are more requirements for people who can communicate effectively using the local language.

Many state governments have initiated schemes for the development of regional languages. The schemes have been aimed at creating more job opportunities for experts or people who are passionate about their regional language. There is hope that these schemes would help generate more interest among the common man and hence put a full stop to the slow death of the regional languages. Some state governments have also announced schemes to encourage research in regional language instead of using English.

There is always the field of arts and entertainment. Even though the average Indian is forced to use English for work related purposes, he tends to get more associated with regional art and entertainment. This opens a huge market for the entertainment industry. There are plenty of opportunities in fields such as cinema, music and dance which require people who can use the regional language effectively. While it can be argued that these sorts of jobs are out of reach for an average middle class Indian, a bit of hard work, passion, and dedication should do the trick.

There is also huge potential in the field of literature. With the rising literacy rates in India, there is a huge void that needs to be filled to satisfy the intellectual thirst of the educated Indians. It is natural for a human being to be more comfortable with his/her regional language. This aspect can be exploited by aspiring writers and poets. This aids in the development of the language as well.

There are numerous opportunities in the field of journalism. The recent media boom has given rise to many regional news channels and journals. There are a few editorial jobs for online portals. People looking to work on their own can exploit the blogosphere or do free lance writing. There are lots of opportunities for translation related work. Governments in countries such as the US, Australia, and England offer jobs for people with expertise in different languages in order to develop a multicultural environment.

Taking pride in our languages
It is very clear that English is not the only way forward for an average Indian. All the industries mentioned above definitely seem to have the potential to grow larger in future. It is time for the average Indian to exploit these markets to build a more economically independent India. It is also imperative to banish the prevalent view that only the poor and downtrodden use regional languages as a medium of education and communication.

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in October, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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