NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 10, 2001: The language divide in India has created a class divide. On one hand, while most East Indians may speak Hindi or other dialects in their mother tongue at home, children are encouraged to pursue English fervently at school. English has been the language used in government since colonial days, and fluency in English ensures that a person can study to become a doctor, engineer or computer scientist. Otherwise, the knowledge of Hindi alone pretty much determines your fate in lower income positions. Some people are fighting back and trying to get the special status given to English thrown out. However, the elite class is preserving the class divide by educating their children in English schools while less privileged children are educated in Hindi-speaking schools.
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