REGIONAL LITERATURE THROUGH THE LENS OF INDIAN ENGLISH: AN ANALYTICAL OVERVIEW

Abstract

While India officially recognizes 23 regional languages, over 2,000 additional languages are spoken across the country. English, therefore, remains an indispensable medium in this linguistically diverse nation. In a country where establishing a single national language would be nearly impossible, the colonizers introduced English—a language that has now become globally pervasive—in exchange for the exploitation of India’s rich cultural heritage. This study examines the concept of "literature" through the prism of Indian English and explores both works authored in English by Indian writers and those created in India’s regional languages. By aligning itself with post-colonial discourse, Indian Writing in English (IWE) often positions itself as more prestigious than regional literature. Since IWE is not a self-contained entity, much of its corpus emerges from the contributions of the Indian diaspora writing in English. In contrast, regional literature struggles to gain visibility and recognition, unable to reach a wide audience and disseminate its cultural richness globally in the way IWE has achieved.