In 1835, British administrator Thomas Babington Macaulay issued a influential minute advocating for English as the medium of instruction in Indian education, dismissing Sanskrit and Arabic literature as inferior to Western knowledge. This policy shifted colonial administration towards creating a class of anglicized Indians to serve as interpreters between the British and the local population. It reflected broader efforts to use language as a tool of cultural dominance and administrative efficiency in British India, marginalizing indigenous literary traditions while promoting English for governance and higher learning. The decision had lasting effects on the linguistic hierarchy in the subcontinent.

Macaulay's policy profoundly shaped modern Indian literature by encouraging bilingualism among elites, leading to the emergence of Indian English literature. Poets and writers like Toru Dutt and later Sarojini Naidu navigated hybrid identities, blending English forms with Indian themes. It spurred resistance in vernacular literatures and influenced postcolonial movements where authors reclaimed linguistic agency. This interplay fostered rich hybrid poetic voices addressing colonial legacies and cultural assertion, evident in works exploring identity and resistance.