The Ancient in the Modern

I learned two Indian English expressions that I like. One is “Please do the needful”—when someone is requesting that all things are prepared as they should be. The other is “I would like to avail myself of this scheme,” which I guess is fairly clear, but we’d say, “I’d like to take advantage of this deal.” I can’t imagine hearing either of these in 21st century England. But I wonder if you might have heard them in the 1930s? Then again I also think I have a lot to learn about the development of Indian English.

This reminds me of the striking contrasts between the old and the new here. So here are a few pictures to demonstrate. The nice garden is the residence of the president of Delhi University. The cellphone guy on the street is another "common" scene. The arch is Sheesh Mahal in Shalimar Gardens, also in the north of the city, and the painting on it up close.