Language key to shed colonial mindset: Union minister Pradhan

varanasi (up): union education minister dharmendra pradhan on tuesday said language is one of the primary instruments to come out of the colonial “macaulay mindset”, referring to the british civil servant who advanced anglicised education in the 19th century.speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the kashi tamil sangamam 4.0 in varanasi, pradhan said prime minister narendra modi had given a clarion call to shed the colonial mindset when he visited ayodhya to hoist the saffron flag at the ram temple.“in 1835, an aggressor named macaulay came to india and conspired against indian civilisation. he used language as a negative weapon. it has been 190 years, and we must come out of the colonial mindset, the macaulay mindset,” pradhan said, adding that there is no need to remain “dependent” on english.he said those who aim to innovate must be proficient in their mother tongues—tamil, punjabi, gujarati, marathi, hindi and others.the minister said modi's appeal to overcome the colonial mentality is central to strengthening cultural confidence. addressing a gathering in ayodhya on november 25, modi had said india needed to free itself from the “mentality of slavery”.“macaulay sowed the seeds of uprooting india from its roots 190 years ago. we gained independence but not freedom from inferiority,” pradhan quoted the prime minister as saying, adding that the next 10 years must be dedicated to reversing this mindset.modi had said “colonial-era distortions” created the belief that india borrowed democracy from outside. “india is the mother of democracy. it is in our dna,” he said, citing a thousand-year-old inscription in tamil nadu documenting democratic practices.he added that this mindset had even influenced national symbols, prompting the recent redesign of the navy's flag. “it was not just a design change; it was a change in thinking,” modi said.