Time to Bury a Colonial Vestige: Embrace the Zee!
As for me, this is the last piece of prose I write using British English spellings.
Time to Bury a Colonial Vestige: Embrace the Zee!
With a view to jettisoning the last vestiges of colonial rule, it’s high time we set aside the stiff upper lip of British English 🇬🇧 spellings—those endless “S”s instead of “Z”s and the unnecessary “OU”s that clutter our words.
This isn’t about pledging allegiance to the United States 🇺🇸. Far from it. It’s about recognising that American English emerged from the first great revolt against British colonialism—the American Revolution of 1776. They broke free then, and have upheld democratic credentials ever since. We followed in 1947, charting our own independent course. 🇮🇳
In that sense, we are fellow travellers—India and the USA—separated by time but united by spirit.
Thus, embracing American English spellings is not about playing to the American tune out of geo-political expediency. It is, rather, a conscious act of principle—one more small but meaningful way to shed lingering colonial baggage.
And while we're at it, maybe it’s time we let "flat" become "apartment," "footpath" give way to "sidewalk," and "toilet" politely upgrade itself to "washroom." We could retire the "kerb" and confidently step onto the "curb." Let’s take a "cab" instead of hailing a "taxi," and board a "bus" rather than a "coach." After all, if our daily words are still hitching a ride on colonial grammar, it’s about time we gave them a one-way ticket to the past.
Let us make the switch. Let us shed this usage immediately.
Of course, in Punjab—especially after 8 PM, when the spirits are high—it’s neither Gen Zee English nor the King’s English. It’s Singh’s English. And it flows just fine! Cheers!!
As for me, this is the last piece of prose I write using British English spellings.
Welcome Zee!