Why in news?
About Macaulay's mentality of slavery

• Thomas Babington Macaulay, a British Parliamentarian in 1835, introduced an education reform in India that is often criticized for imposing a "mentality of slavery" or "slave mindset" on Indians. 

• Macaulay introduced English as the medium of instruction in India through his 1835 Minute on Education.​
• This policy instilled a sense of inferiority among Indians, making them doubt their own culture and value Western ways above indigenous traditions.
• The policy aimed to create a class of Indians who were "Indian in blood and colour, but British in taste, opinions, morals, and intellect".​
• Macaulay's reforms led to the closure of many indigenous institutions and universities that focused on Eastern philosophy.​
• The British administration focused on educating only the elite, with the hope that knowledge would "filter down" to the masses (Downward Filtration Theory).​

Way forward

• Reclaiming pride in Indian heritage, languages, and knowledge systems by restoring faith in "Bhartiya" or indigenous knowledge.
• Promoting local languages alongside English, emphasizing that opposing Macaulay's legacy is not anti-English but pro-Indian languages.
• Overhauling education to emphasize India's civilizational genius and traditional knowledge that was diminished by Macaulay's colonial education system.
• Encouraging a cultural and cognitive decolonization that rebuilds pride in India’s own history and ecosystems, including supporting the "Made in India" manufacturing framework.
• Setting a clear 10-year roadmap to erase the mental slavery and restore national self-confidence by the 200th anniversary of Macaulay’s campaign in 2035.

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