Mr Modi, what are moving coil galvanometer & special leave petition called in Hindi ?

The decision to impose Hindi in premier educational institutions and competitive examinations for central government jobs is a retrograde move.

There is no pride in it, rather it's replete with prejudice.

At least 15 to 20 percent students getting into IITs, IIITs and NITs are purportedly from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The 16,500-odd students getting into the IITs annually nurse an ambition to go abroad for their next gigs, be it a job or to pursue higher studies. As it is, the USA, UK and Australia insist on English language skill for inbound students. It's not proficiency alone that is taken as the benchmark. Even the skill must be professional. Most TOEFL-accepted universities in the US insist on a minimum of 25 marks each in speaking, reading, writing and listening of English - in all, a 100. Where will those, who pursue higher professional education in Hindi medium or a local language, seek admission in a foreign country for their postgraduate degree?

This funny decision to thrust Hindi as a medium of instruction kills the spirit of global competition at the stage of embryo itself.

Because, a person graduating with a top rank in an IIT, or NIT can conveniently forget about competing in TOEFL or IELTS. Even if a studious person can crack that, the question of he excelling globally doesn't arise at all. India will be moving backwards — as it has been on many global indices — and this is a retrograde step that throttles its growth in terms of academics and innovation. It nips the merit in its bud and over the years, the number of people trying to reach out to newer shores across the globe would wither away. Imagine Visa offices wearing a deserted look and foreign direct investments and overseas development centres would becoming a thing of past in less than a decade. This would move from being just an apprehension to a stark reality, if such skewed decisions are imposed on the nation.

Isn't it detrimental to the right to education?

After all, the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002 had inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. Then, why not the choice of medium of learning? Shouldn't it be left for the students to decide? A student, who can decide whether to prefer commerce or engineering or medicine, can't choose which language he should be learning the subjects in, in keeping with her own personal preferences and career plans.

For the good or bad, India has adopted largely English as its common language, while respecting the "unity in diversity".

The Constitution of India, authored by scholars under the able leadership of Dr B R Ambedkar, was not written in Hindi or Tamil or Telugu. The Constitution was written in English. The law books were written in English.

What is a Special Leave Petition called in Hindi? Would it be roughly translated into "vishesh chuttee yachikaa"?

It seems risible when laudatory remarks fly thick and fast if a court case is heard or judgement delivered in a local language. It's fine as long as the lordships understand the language of the arguing lawyers or the plaintiffs and choose to deliver the verdict in a localised case — be it civil or criminal. Even the procedure codes are just interpreted in such instances in local language.

What about cases that have far-reaching consequences and constitutional ramifications? Can a Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court with five judges hailing from different states comprising the jury hear a case in Hindi? How fluent and conversant is Attorney General Venkata Ramani with Hindi? Are Gopal Subramanian or the legendary K Parasaran or Mohan Parasaran, who earned a name for themselves as eminent legal luminaries and jurists, at ease with interpreting law in Hindi? Perhaps, they may not be able to do so even in their mother tongue.

How long does it take to rewrite the law books?

What is a moving-coil galvanometer called in Hindi? What is hippocampus in the brain called? What is Hindi equivalent of cornea? Does anybody understand the words "ratni" and "aratni" for radius and ulna, the bones in the forehand; or 'janghika' and 'januka' for tibia and fibula, the leg bones ? How are these introduced to a student who secures a seat in the prestigious Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research in Pondicherry in the local language? Don't students getting selected in merit have a chance to enter into AIIMS ? Or since the institution is being localised, does the medium of medical education change into the local lingo?

However much assiduous one is in teaching organic chemistry in Hindi, acetic acid cannot become anything but acetic.

Will the chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India announce a policy on allowing 'white knights' coming to the rescue of embattled companies as 'safed ghoda' in Hindi? How does Mr Shaktikant Das describe repo and reverse repo in Hindi?

When Arun Jaitley had said in his 2018 budget speech: "I propose to tax such long term capital gains exceeding Rs 1 lakh at the rate of 10 per cent without allowing the benefit of any indexation. However, all gains up to 31st January, 2018 will be grandfathered," would the last part be translated into 'pitamah or dada karenge?' Ludicrous, it sounds.

What will be Hindi equivalent for 'Tan square theta' or Integral 0 to 30, root cosecant square theta minus one?

This whole exercise seems to be deliriously parochial.

Education policy is not hidebound. Nobody opposes a positive and vibrant change that makes India sprint globally in every which way. But a retrograde measure like this must be put to debate. A pluralistic society like India must encourage divergent views and accommodate the opinions and views of all stakeholders.

When all South Indian leaders, including MK Stalin, Pinarayi Vijayan and KTR cried hoarse about the imposition of Hindi, it's alarming and shocking to find a stoic silence from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu. Maybe they want to kowtow to whatever Narendra Modi or Amit Shah think and do. Even if they want to be politically correct for their own reasons, how can they mortgage the interests of the students from the state when they are being subjugated to something they cannot cope with.

Any progressive society must propel its talents adding cryogenic fuel. Finding Hindi equivalents for that will remain rocket science where rocket still has to remain a rocket — even in Hindi.

I plead that Honourable Prime Minister of India Narendra Damodardas Modi and Honourable Home Minister of India Amit Anil Chandra Shah reconsider their decision and let India progress at least on its own.