Why does Indians speak English when Chinese do not. Many of my foreign friends from China and Japan are surprised knowing the fact that most of the Indians speak good English . Sometimes they wonder what could be the reason behind it. I sometimes get a little annoyed when people mistake my mother tongue to be English instead of Telugu. However that is a kind of compliment though . It only means that I speak it fluently and correct enough to get them thinking so. There are so many languages in India that the leaders really got confused which language has to be spoken on a National level. Many suggested Sanskrit but few of them thought that it would only end up making casteism get stronger. Some suggested Hindi but hardly a few thousand could understand Hindi in South India. After a long debate in the newly established ,the then, Indian Paliament , a resolution was passed making English the common language at national level ,just after Hindi. It appeased everyone because English is equally alien and equally familiar to all. It was the language of the then ruling class afterall. Moreover , the leaders thought that instead of choosing a language from India that would divide ,choosing a language from foreign land that could unite is not a bad choice after all. Thanks to the foresight and liberal ideas of the then National Leaders , today we have an edge over many Asian countries in the fields of IT and related industries where the knowledge of English is considered to be an added advantage. I think it made a significant contribution to the growth of Indian industry especially those related to Business Process Outsourcing. As the other side of the coin there are many negative shades to the phenomenon as well. It could only be felt if you were Indian. It is really a matter of concern that many of Classical Indian Languages like Sanskrit,Telugu, Hindi etc are now in the danger of extinction. There are only 10000 good Sanskrit writers in India and only a little more good speakers. What about the tradition and heritage of our forefathers. Are we only to be spectators to the decline of our culture in the name of modernity . I think it is everybody's responsibilty to understand one's own culture before stepping into knowing others'. I am neither for English nor against it. In my opinion there is nothing great about it . It is just any other language that only became a lingua franca because of the circumstances and not because of its beauty/grammar/style/taste. It is only my opinion and Shakespeares and Frosts.Bye.