Scottish author and historian William Dalrymple has said that India’s multilingual educated elite, who are equally comfortable in English and their own regional languages, are driving the country’s rise on the global economic stage. His comments come amid renewed debate over Thomas Macaulay’s legacy after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged Indians to "free ourselves from the mindset of slavery that Macaulay imposed on India," calling for a 10-year national resolve leading up to the 200th anniversary of Macaulay’s education reforms.

The PM was referring to the 1835 introduction of the Macaulay education system, which established English as the medium of instruction and prioritised Western literature and science over traditional Indian learning.

Dalrymple, speaking in the contex

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