The role of English in India has changed, from the colonizing force used by the British to transmit their cultural values and thus ensure dominance, to a tool of the  elite used to maintain their status at the expense of the majority of Indians, most significantly OBCs and Dalits, even in face of the government's affirmative action efforts in education. 

    In examining the rhetoric of Indian English, I will utilize Paulo Freire’s pedagogical framework, to examine the role of education and pedagogy, specifically in terms of the English-medium vs. vernacular schools, as well as addressing views on the cultural importance of the vernacular, from rhetoricians like Peter Ramus to rhetorical legends like Mahatma Gandhi.