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Language access has never been equal. In this intermediate-level lesson, you will explore how India's pre-colonial education system and British colonial schools both reinforced caste-based barriers to English literacy, watch an episode of Malgudi Days ("A Horse and Two Goats") that illustrates this divide through the character of Muni, build Hindi vocabulary from the episode, and reflect critically on whether India's education system has truly addressed these inequalities today.
Page outline:
Background reading — Caste and access to English: from Pathshalas and Madrasas to British colonial schools
Connect to the story — How Muni's experience in "A Horse and Two Goats" reflects the real-world exclusion of lower castes from English education
Watch मालगुडी डेज़ — View the episode of Malgudi Days
Vocabulary list — Key Hindi words from the episode (e.g., ग़रीब, भाग्य, विदेशी, and more)
Dictionary support — Hindi dictionary for pronunciation help
Questions — Complete comprehension questions and discussion prompts on caste, English fluency, social mobility, and multilingualism in India's education system
By the end of this page you will be able to: explain how colonial education reinforced caste inequalities, recognize key Hindi vocabulary from the episode, connect the themes of the story to broader questions of language access and power, and discuss whether current Indian education policy adequately addresses these inequalities.
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CASTE AND ACCESSIBILITY TO ENGLISH
Before the existence of schools, as we know them today, India had a system of Pathshalas, Tols and Madrasas. While Madrasas focussed on Islamic theology, tradition and culture, Pathshalas emphasized memorization and recitation of Vedic scriptures, epics, and rituals. Pathshalas were attended by upper caste Brahmins who were taught in Sanskrit and were expected to consecrate ceremonies through Vedic rituals for all castes across villages and also emerge as teachers themselves.
With the advent of the British and the establishment of formal schools, the same norm prevailed where students attending school were either born into Brahmin families or were sons of wealthy nawabs or merchants. As a result, schools - whose medium was primarily English - were not accessible to the lower castes or the poor. This not only left this gentry void of the English language, but it also marginalized them by taking away their chances at social mobility.
The story of "A Horse and Two Goats" gives a glimpse of this phenomenon as Muni, while conversing with the American, highlights this very reality as he shares how the Brahmin children went to school and how he would go to the fields as a child and never had access to the English language.
मालगुडी डेज़ (A Horse and Two Goats)
Vocabulary
सपना - dream हादसा - incident ख़ून - murder,blood
बेफ़िक्र - carefree चुकता - pay off उधार - loan
मुसीबत - problem तलवार - sword सिपाही - soldier
लपकना - pounce नारियल - coconut भेड़िया - wolf
हाथी - elephant गाँव - village पुजारी - priest
लौ - flame कथा - story दुकान - shop
ग़रीब - poor भला- good, act of kindness भगवान - God
पापी - sinner नाश - destruction प्रलय - catastrophe
हड्डी-पस्ली-sp - bones भाग्य - destiny, luck रक्षा - protection
लाश - dead body गुंडा - goon डाकिया - postman
विदेशी -foreigner सामान - stuff दुकानदार- shopkeeper
गाँव -village अंग्रेज़ी -English घोड़ा -horse
बकरियाँ -goats मिठाई -sweets बाँटती थी - used to distribute
🔊 Need help with pronunciation or additional meanings? Click here for an online Hindi dictionary with pronunciation support.
❓यदि आपको गतिविधियों या प्रश्नों के बारे में अतिरिक्त सहायता या स्पष्टीकरण चाहिए, तो कृपया पूनम चौहान से poonamc07@gmail.com पर संपर्क करें।
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Q1. How did English education, as an outcome of the British Raj, perpetuate caste inequalities in access to quality education and social mobility?
Q2. In what ways do social factors associated with caste, such as
location, poverty, and access to good schools, affect opportunities to
learn English fluently?
Q3. Is the current education system in India effectively addressing the unequal access to English language learning opportunities for students from different caste backgrounds?
Q4. Does fluency in English act as a barrier or a bridge for upward social mobility for people from lower castes?
Q5. How can the Indian education system promote multilingualism while ensuring equitable access to English language learning for all castes?
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