Preface

Let me be clear from the outset. This book is written, first and foremost, for the peoples of the world who have for centuries been the subjects of another’s history. It is a view from India, a nation and a civilization that has experienced the power of English as both a tool of colonial administration and a medium of liberation. It is intended as a tool for understanding, for validation, and for the decolonization of our own minds.

Because of this, I must make a foundational claim: I am not asking for permission to define the usage of English, nor should anyone else. A shared global language is a protocol, an infrastructure for communication. Its power comes from its shared nature, and it cannot be controlled by one culture, any more than the protocols for naval signaling or the internet can be monopolized by a single user. To believe that one culture is the sole arbiter of this language is to cling to a colonial ghost.

This does not mean this book is not for readers in the Anglophone world. On the contrary. For you, this book is not a tool, but a mirror. It is an opportunity to see how the triumphant story you have been told is heard by the rest of the world. It is a chance to understand the vast and often painful gap between your nation’s self-perception and its global legacy.

And for those among you who agree with the goal of building a shared history—one that respects the peoples, interests, and needs of all societies—this book is an invitation to become a partner in that work. It is a journey to decolonize our collective understanding of the past, and an invitation to ask: What does the story of the world look like when all the users of its shared protocol are allowed to transmit their part of the tale?