Most people want to speak English as an English man does, irrespective of their levels of education. The obsession pervades all over the Third World countries and the younger generation is mainly infested with it. It is generally believed that communication skills in English are a gateway to the higher prospects. Good spoken skills may offset many of the other personal disabilities. They may be a general cover-up for the deficiency of several other skills. A movie actor should possess all kinds of bodily attraction, but she must also be fluent in General American English, though the language sounds artificial in the Indian scenario. Consequent to Privatization, the chances of educated young men have brightened, opening up new avenues which were never anticipated earlier. There is a call for the display of their soft skills and a show of their English-speaking talents.
The craze for English sometimes goes beyond many bounds and there are detestable instances too of English being used artificially in place of the local language. There is a desire for the display of a talent which has been non-existent. If only children say 'bye' in English, the parents are thrilled and they think that the few expressions in English of children are an end of all educational problems. The struggle to say something in English is prevalent among elders also who are semi-educated.

But, should we re-place our local language with English at any cost? We can never express emotions in English up to our satisfaction and it can never be the language of our psyche.

We can not ever dispense with English, but we can not make it our own. We use many tools in the course of doing a job and English is just one more. Once we are finished with our job. We can keep it aside and switch back to our mother tongue.

We have to create a suitable place for English and any other foreign language which has to perform a function in our business and administrative matters. But, the matter should rest there and there is no need for us to establish a sentimental attachment with the language in question.

Life is vey long and it is intended for learning and unlearning several things. Education is a long-drawn process of the acquisition of skills. We love the skills as long as they are useful, or else, we give them up in favor of some other skill which gives us the required strength. It is not necessary to fall in love with some language which does not have an Indian origin, but which has served its purpose all along.

About Author / Additional Info:
The author is a retired Principal and he now works as a Guest Lecturer in Colleges