vivekpani

The comments and debates are overwhelming. I do not disagree with the debates about teaching English and Hindi as a wider languages than one's mother tongue that limits one to their village or community. But, English is also a choice. With the choice being there, we still have many literates "not" in English. More than half kids who join schools, drop out before they complete primary education and yet, they are literate. If they study in English only, they do not reach a stage where they can be comfortable with the language. Whereas, if they are literate in their mother tongue, they read for the rest of their lives. They read newspapers, magazines and also sources that can satisfy their curiosity with knowledge. Language does help in trade. But, knowledge helps in creation. Innovators usually do not get limited by language but can easily get limited by lack of access to knowledge. Most non English countries (Japan, Russia, China, Germany, Taiwan and many others) do not have anything much in English and yet, do business with the rest of the world.

Can't agree with you more! One Dr. Kalbag, a man I respected a lot but couldn't meet, created a curriculum for school dropouts. His school in the Pabal Village in Maharashtra showed what the genius in school drops could produce. The local manufacturing in India is massive. I do not agree with those who say India is a service economy only. However, the last of literature and knowledge in local languages limits many such genius.

It is what I learnt. They didn't really teach me. I may have got stuff wrong too. But, we have all sorts of cases with China. We have pretty bad products that do not last and we also have some of the best ones. Apple phones that the world trusts so much is manufactured in China. But, regardless of the manufacturing, the digital medium where quality is not usually shrouded by looks, China has created examples in India by overtaking some of the established Indian businesses.