[kjellsbells]

Well, TIL! I had always assumed that Hindi was a sort of lingua franca in India, taught in the schools alongside the regional language. Guess that is not so, then? (Is there a lingua franca in today's India at all, then? English?)

[aadhavans]

Yes, for the most part. Not sure what you mean by "today's India", since India has never had a lingua franca (except for English).