From an interview of Nandan Nilekani, Co-Chair of Infosys:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>Nitin Pai: Will India modernise its infrastructure before the Chinese
learn English? What if it is the latter? More generally,
how do you see the India-China relationship
evolving over the next few years.</i>
Nandan Nilekani: It's more than that. If the Chinese had their
way, they'll make Mandarin one of the global languages,
if not the global language. That way, the
playing field moves to their strength. India is a
swing country in this because our embracing English
in a big way will be an important reason for
English to continue being a dominant global language.
India is in a strategic position. One of the
things I have been advocating is that not only
should India learn English internally, we should
actually spread English globally. The more
strongly we do this, the more strongly we secure
our own strategic position as opposed to someone
whose language is not English. We have to make
sure that remain the dominant business language
of the world and global communications.
pdf<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hmmm... just think of where we have reached... and remember it used to be the conglomerate of Hindu traders and grand sArthavAha-s and mighty guilds of Indian shreShThI-s trading and doing business with far off words -- who were one of the important vehicles that had made saMskR^ita the accepted global language in large parts of the once literate world! Just remember of the tamil shreShThI-s who used to establish the temples in mainland china during the times of choLa-s.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>Nitin Pai: Will India modernise its infrastructure before the Chinese
learn English? What if it is the latter? More generally,
how do you see the India-China relationship
evolving over the next few years.</i>
Nandan Nilekani: It's more than that. If the Chinese had their
way, they'll make Mandarin one of the global languages,
if not the global language. That way, the
playing field moves to their strength. India is a
swing country in this because our embracing English
in a big way will be an important reason for
English to continue being a dominant global language.
India is in a strategic position. One of the
things I have been advocating is that not only
should India learn English internally, we should
actually spread English globally. The more
strongly we do this, the more strongly we secure
our own strategic position as opposed to someone
whose language is not English. We have to make
sure that remain the dominant business language
of the world and global communications.
pdf<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Hmmm... just think of where we have reached... and remember it used to be the conglomerate of Hindu traders and grand sArthavAha-s and mighty guilds of Indian shreShThI-s trading and doing business with far off words -- who were one of the important vehicles that had made saMskR^ita the accepted global language in large parts of the once literate world! Just remember of the tamil shreShThI-s who used to establish the temples in mainland china during the times of choLa-s.