[triceratops]

> worse, the public schools push the eduction in the native languages, which is (very sadly) next to worthless economically in India.

I hear this a lot but does it have to be so? AFAIK China, Japan, and South Korea also educate students in their native languages and that hasn't hindered their development.

[sombremesa]

It isn't a straightforward parallel because those countries have universal (or near universal) language homogeneity. Even with the exception of China, there isn't nearly as much variation as there is in India (e.g. here are some languages from an Indian banknote: https://puu.sh/GGwOj/3537211eb7.png).

So, the closest thing India has to a universal language is English. If you don't learn that, you won't be able to communicate with a significant population, even discounting international relations.