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Whose English is it?

A tête-À-tête with author Jyoti Sanyal on his latest book

Jyoti Sanyal happens to be the author of Indlish - The Book for Every English-Speaking Indian. The state of English writing in India today, why it’s not just the Brits that are to blame are some of areas that he throws light on. Excerpts from an interview:Your book describes the negative influence that Victorian English and the British East India Company have had on English writing in India. As an American to an Indian, can’t we just blame the Brits for t he state of English writing in India, and be done with it?

I don’t know about blaming the Brits, because that was the language that was written during Victorian times. But those who came to India for the East India Company had very little education. And the Company’s "writers" or clerks were terrible writers.

Why have many Indians clung to Victorian English, especially in their writing?

The universities haven’t changed their syllabi. They still prescribe the same Victorian authors. When these universities were established, Victorian authors were still writing!

Should we consider Indian English a proper English the same way we say American English is one variant, and so on?

Certainly not! You can’t really compare America and India, because many Americans were descendants of Englishmen. Unlike in America, English never did naturally grow in India.

Has less formal communication like email and SMS made writing in India more casual or sloppy?

Someone emailed me asking for help with English. He used the letter ‘u’ for ‘you’, ‘ur’ for ‘your’ and so on. Plus running sentences, no punctuation and so on. I wrote back saying, “Decide whether you are sending an SMS or writing a letter.”

Do foreigners judge Indians based on how well they know English, irrespective of the many other languages they may know quite well?

Yes, you’re right. And many Americans do judge Indians by how they speak English. But official American English has become terribly pompous.

Your book has an element of despair that comes through…I can tell that you’ve lived with these issues for a long time. And I too have been frustrated in trying to promote quality writing. So what is the hope for the future of English writing in India?

I suppose there is hope, because some Indians writing in English have made it big. Also, more Indian boys and girls are becoming bloggers; hopefully this will inspire others to do the same.

DAVID JUMAN

(The writer is an American publishing professional and writer)

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