A History of the Dept. of English, University of Calcutta

Worth a read.

For those writing a modern history of English in India, the following is noteworthy regarding college/university English (primary/secondary school English is a different story):

The Department went through a period of slump starting from the 1940s and ending in the 1960s.  Three major historical factors contributed towards it – reactionary attitude towards English language  and literature at the wake of nationalism and political independence, and the resultant growth in interest in the vernacular languages; a temporary shift in significance from English towards Political Science and  Economics in the 1950s within the humanities; and the flourishing and coming into beings of other  universities within West Bengal and in other parts of India.

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By the end of the 1960s, interest in English was again growing. Two reasons contributed towards its  resurgence – first, the acceptance of English as one of the best linguistic means of communication  throughout the length and breadth of India; and second, the growing importance of the United States  and other English-speaking nations in terms of the control of global economics and politics.