English Is No Longer Just a Language. It Is a Global Bridge.

I have noticed that some influential individuals occupying very high positions in society, including eminent lawyers, judges and other public figures, occasionally express opinions about language that deserve serious reconsideration.

From their influential positions, sometimes sitting in Delhi, they raise questions such as:

"Why can't one Indian language become the common language for all Indians? Why should we continue to depend on English? Why should we hold on to the language of our former colonial rulers?"

They sometimes present these arguments as though replacing English with one Indian language would automatically strengthen national unity.

But I have a different perspective.

Here is what I believe.

India is not a monolingual country, nor has it ever been one.

What we call India today is a vast subcontinent with a long history of different kingdoms, cultures, civilizations and hundreds of languages. Many political territories rose and disappeared over centuries, each with its own linguistic and cultural identity.

No land can legitimately belong to only one language-speaking community. India is no exception.

After independence, India reorganized its states largely along linguistic lines, recognizing the importance of linguistic identity and diversity.

I sometimes feel that arguments against English are indirectly being used to promote Hindi as a common language for all Indians. If that is the intention, I respectfully disagree.

In Tamil Nadu, we speak Tamil as our mother tongue. We also use English as a link language to communicate with people across India and the rest of the world.

Similarly, people in Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu, Kerala-Malayalam, Karnataka -Kannada, Punjab-Punjabi etc, while English helps them communicate beyond their linguistic boundaries.

Hindi-speaking states can follow the same principle: preserve Hindi as their mother tongue and use English as a common bridge to communicate with other linguistic communities.

That is equality. That is linguistic freedom. That is social justice.

Why should people in non-Hindi-speaking states be expected to learn Hindi as a compulsory means of communication when a mutually accessible language like English already serves that purpose?

English Belongs to the World, Not Just to the British.

There is another important point we must understand.

English can no longer be viewed as the exclusive property of the British or merely as a language left behind by colonial rulers.

Look at countries such as the United States, where people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds live together. Many families continue to speak their ancestral languages at home while using English to communicate with the wider society.

People from different linguistic backgrounds contribute to science, medicine, technology, literature and research, often sharing their knowledge with the world through English.

They do not have to abandon their mother tongues to become part of the global knowledge community.

Why should we think differently?

English has gradually evolved into an international language that connects people across continents. It is a major language of scientific communication, technological development, medical education, international research and global cooperation.

It provides access to an enormous world of knowledge, including books written by researchers and experts from different countries and linguistic backgrounds.

Countries such as China, Russia and Germany continue to preserve their own languages while recognizing the practical importance of English in international communication.

Therefore, I see no reason to regard English as merely the language of the colonial rulers who once governed us.

A language does not belong exclusively to the people who originally spoke it. Its value also lies in how humanity uses it to share knowledge and progress together.

English is increasingly becoming a bridge between humanity, crossing geographical, cultural and linguistic boundaries.

My Fundamental Principle:

Every Indian has the right to learn, preserve and take pride in their mother tongue. Every Indian should also have the opportunity to learn English as a global link language.

No language should be imposed on another linguistic community in the name of national unity.

Unity does not mean linguistic uniformity.

A truly united India must celebrate its linguistic diversity, not attempt to replace it with linguistic dominance.

Respect every language. Preserve every mother tongue. Learn English to connect with the world.

That is the India I believe in.

-Chitha Satguru Yozen Balki 💥 

It Is Not Labour Alone, but Technological Knowledge That Makes a Nation Prosper!

Liechtenstein: A Tiny Nation of Just 40,000 People and One of the Wealthiest Countries in the World

What determines the wealth of a nation?

Is it the size of its population?

Its geographical area?

Its natural resources?

Or the hard work of its people?

All these factors can contribute to a country's development. But there is another powerful force that can take an economy to an entirely different level.

That force is technological knowledge — the ability to innovate, research, and invent.

A remarkable example of this is Liechtenstein, a tiny country located in the heart of Europe.

A Nation of 40,000 People, Yet an Economic Powerhouse!

With an area of approximately 160 square kilometres and a population of around 41,000 in 2025, Liechtenstein is one of Europe's smallest countries.

Yet its economic strength is extraordinary.

According to World Bank data, its GDP per capita was approximately US$220,167 in 2024.

This places Liechtenstein among the countries with the highest GDP per capita in the world.

How can such a small nation achieve such remarkable economic prosperity?

It Is Not the Quantity of Labour, but the Value It Creates That Matters!

In many countries, workers put in long hours. Factories manufacture countless products. But not all manufactured products generate the same economic value.

There is a tremendous difference between producing an ordinary tool and developing a highly sophisticated technological instrument that is used across the world.

Manufacturing a product is production.

Improving that product through knowledge is technology.

Creating an entirely new solution that the world needs is innovation.

Liechtenstein has built a significant part of its industrial strength around this third level.

Its industrial and manufacturing sectors contribute more than 40% of its gross value added. With a relatively small domestic market, many of its companies focus on exporting their products to international markets.

In other words, they are not manufacturing merely for the 40,000 people living in their own country. They are creating products for the world.

Investing in Research Is Investing in the Future!

One of the most revealing statistics about Liechtenstein's economy concerns its investment in research and development.

In 2023, the country spent a total of CHF 447.8 million on Research and Development (R&D).

Of this amount, CHF 436.8 million came from private companies.

In other words, approximately 98 per cent of the country's domestic R&D expenditure was funded by the private sector!

In the same year, 1,470 people were employed in research and development activities. This included researchers, technical personnel, and other supporting staff.

The important point here is that research is not confined to universities and academic institutions. Companies and factories themselves invest continuously in improving products, developing new technologies, and finding better solutions.

A Worker Is Not Merely a Production Machine!

When an employee simply completes the daily tasks assigned to them, they contribute to the company's production.

But imagine what happens when that same employee begins asking:

- Can this tool be made more efficient?

- Can this process be completed in less time?

- Can we reduce costs while improving quality?

- Can we find a new technological solution to a problem that nobody has solved before?

That employee is no longer merely contributing labour. They are becoming a valuable source of knowledge and innovation for the organisation.

When companies create a working environment that encourages this kind of thinking, they can transform themselves from ordinary manufacturing units into centres of continuous innovation.

The importance given to research and development in Liechtenstein's industrial sector encourages us to look at economic growth from this perspective.

The Big Lesson from a Small Nation!

It would be inaccurate to attribute Liechtenstein's prosperity to a single factor. Its industrial history, international market connections, ability to attract skilled foreign workers, business environment, and financial services have all contributed to its success.

However, there is one important lesson that we can learn from its development:

It is not enough to ask how many products a country manufactures. We must also ask how much knowledge, technology, innovation, and uniqueness are embedded in those products.

A country can increase its population.

It can build more factories.

It can increase the working hours of its labour force.

But none of these measures alone guarantees a place among the world's wealthiest nations.

What truly matters is the ability to transform knowledge into products, inventions into globally useful solutions, and technology into lasting economic value.

Finally...

Liechtenstein raises an interesting question for countries like India, which have enormous populations.

We have human resources.

We have scientific talent.

We have technology professionals.

We have entrepreneurs and research institutions.

Can we bring these strengths together more effectively? Can we respect and encourage the creative thinking of workers? Can we increase corporate investment in research? Can we develop high-value innovations that the world genuinely needs?

That is the question we should be asking.

Labour keeps a nation running. Knowledge increases the value of that labour. Technological innovation transforms that value into global wealth.

The true measure of a nation's development lies not merely in how much its people work with their hands, but also in how much innovation they create with their minds!

- Chitha Satguru Yozen Balki